Why several Austin gas pumps are closed overnight

(ABC 6 News) – Austin residents may have been confused by a new sign at the Oakland Ave. Kwik Trip, stating that gas pumps will no longer be available to use after closing.

Rest assured, overnight customers can still fill up their vehicles at the Kwik Trip on 14th Street, or near the highway.

But around a "half-dozen" gas pumps will need to be shut down after employees leave, assistant inspector Jim Halsey with the Austin Fire Department said, until AFD and the owners bring them up to state fire code.

The issue came to light Wednesday, June 15, Halsey said, and AFD checked all the stations in town to ensure compliance with the fire code.

According to MN state statute 2304.4, Halsey said, fuel dispension must be monitored 24/7, or stations must provide a phone/call box after hours in case of an emergency.

This wasn’t an issue when pay phones were common, but now that they are not, many Austin gas stations — and presumably stations located elsewhere in Minnesota — should not leave their pumps on when the station is unmanned.

The Austin fire department will work with owners to bring the stations up to fire code, Halsey said.