Watch now: Sewer work in Mattoon caused gas leak that led to evacuations

Originally published by JG-TC

MATTOON — Sewer work damaged a natural gas line causing a leak that led to an evacuation of a part of the west side of Mattoon Monday morning.

About 75 people were evacuated from homes in about a 10-block area around Pine Avenue and 25th Street, Mattoon fire Chief Jeff Hilligoss said. He said there were no injuries and residents were allowed to return to their homes late Monday morning.

Hilligoss said the leak was reported just before 9 a.m. by city public works staff who were doing cleaning in a sewer and damaged an underground gas line running through it.

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The gas line was sealed by about 11:30 a.m. and crews with Ameren Illinois then went to work to replace the damaged section, he said.

The evacuated areas were the 2400, 2500 and 2600 blocks of Pine and Commercial avenues and the 2400 and 2500 blocks of Western and Prairie avenues. It affected about 75 residences, Hilligoss said.

Several streets in the area were also closed to traffic while the leak was addressed.

Hilligoss said the Mattoon school district provided bus transportation to a temporary shelter at Mattoon’s Burgess-Osborne Auditorium and five of the people evacuated relocated to there while the leak was being addressed.

Ameren personnel were also on hand to assist residents in turning back on their gas service in locations where it was disconnected, Hilligoss also said.

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He said Mattoon police also assisted in the response to the incident and a Mitchell-Jerdan Ambulance Service responded to the scene on a stand-by basis.

Dates to 1952

Gene and Betty Hoots, of Mattoon, bought the Frigid Queen ice cream shop at 1508 Charleston Ave. in 1952 and added hamburgers and other food. The opened a restaurant in what had been the garage in 1957 and picked “Burger King,” a decision that would become an ongoing legal battle.

1959 trademark

Gene Hoots registered the name “Burger King” as a state trademark in Illinois in 1959. Around the same time, another chain was operating as Burger King in Miami and was in expansion mode. Burger King of Florida, Inc. opened its first restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1953.In September 1962, the Hoots opened a restaurant in Charleston.

Expansion

The Florida chain opened its first Illinois restaurant, in Skokie, in 1961 and had 50 eateries int he state by 1967. The Hoots filed suit in state court, arguing that the trademark meant the national chain couldn’t operate in Illinois.The Florida company responded by filing a federal suit, Burger King of Florida, Inc. v. Hoots.

The decision

The federal court ruled in favor of the Florida company, but forbid it from coming within 20 miles of the Mattoon Burger King.”We affirm the judgment restraining the defendants from using the name ‘Burger King’ in any part of Illinois except in their Mattoon, Illinois, market, and restraining plaintiffs from using their trade mark in the market area of Mattoon, Illinois,” the court ruled.