Downtown Gas Leak Prompts Evacuation

Residents on a downtown block have been evacuated from their homes for several hours after a natural gas leak.

A construction crew apparently ruptured an underground pipe on Bellwoods Avenue, in the Queen and Ossington area, around 3:30pm Friday prompting authorities to force between 40 and 60 people from their homes.

“Police knocked on the door and told us to get out of the house quickly,” Vera Winiauski explained. “I was afraid the house might explode.”

Red Cross workers ushered evacuated residents to warm TTC buses that were brought in to provide temporary shelter. It’s not known when residents will be able to return to their abodes.

“Once (the crews) did get into the gas line they found that there is a second line that needed to be capped and they had to dig another hole and that added time to the estimated period in which they figured things would be shut down,” Toronto Police Sgt. Reg White said, referring to the long time it’s taken to fix the problem.

“It’s a dangerous situation. They have to exercise every precaution.”

No injuries have been reported.

The precautions are for good reason. This incident comes a month after a natural gas explosion demolished a house in the St. Clair and Mount Pleasant area, killing the homeowner  Jyoti Moorthy.

The explosion happened when an Enbridge gas worker was removing an old pipe.

While Friday’s leak has been contained without any injuries, White offered a reminder of what you should do if you smell gas.

“First and foremost immediately either call the police or the fire department right away,” he advised.

“These things have to be dealt with immediately. Sometimes gas leak can take down an entire house or block. Depending on the amount of gas that is leaking.”

 

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