Some Old East Village residents were forced to leave their homes after an excavator hit a natural gas line, causing a “serious” gas leak Thursday morning, a London Fire Department official said.
Firefighters were called to the leak on Central Avenue, between English and Ontario streets, around 11:30 a.m. after the incident happened in a road construction zone, said platoon Chief Gary Mosburger.
About five to 10 residents were forced from their homes temporarily, Mosburger said. No injuries were reported and a London Transit bus was brought in to shelter forced-out residents, the fire department said on social media just before 12:30 p.m.
At about 12:40 p.m., Enbridge Gas had stopped the leak, London police said on social media.
“At one point, we thought we may have had to expand our evacuation area and considered utilizing the Alert London emergency notification system,” Mosburger said. “But Enbridge was able to find a shutoff quicker than they thought . . . eliminating any of the hazard of the gas leak.”
A 200-metre evacuation zone was set up, which included a few homes, Mosburger said, adding that at the height of the incident, 24 firefighters were on the scene.
Tanker trucks were also called in because nearby fire hydrants were out of service due to the roadwork, Mosburger said.
Officials at Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway, whose rail yard is on the northern side of Central Avenue, were notified of the leak, Mosburger said.
The dangers of an outdoor gas leak include “large explosions” and gas entering homes, he said.
“If enough gas gets into a home and finds an ignition source, it could potentially result in an explosion of some sort,” Mosburger said. “Long durations of gas exposure can affect people’s health as well.”
Gas at nearby homes was to be shut off until early evening pending repairs, he said.
Central Avenue between English and Ontario streets was closed for several hours, police said. It was unclear when it would reopen.