CONCORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Police and firefighters responded to a report of a high pressure gas leak on Old Bedford Road in Concord caused by a gas line that was hit by construction crews, Tuesday afternoon.
“They were digging and they hit a gas main. And all of a sudden I hear this woosh!” said nearby neighbor Craig Dellapenna. “I called the police, took the kids, and went out the back door, and that was that.”
According to the police, the gas has been shut off by National Grid and the situation is under control.
Officials said that there were no injuries and that nearby homes were evacuated. Many neighbors reported smelling gas in the air.
“We wanna make sure there’s no gas infiltrating into the homes. And also, if necessary, depending on how close a leak is to structures, we may use hose lines to redirect it,” said Concord Fire Department Chief Thomas Judge. “We didn’t have any evidence of gas in the homes but, with the volume of gas that was coming out of the hole, we evacuated the homes just as a precaution.”
Some neighbors have returned to their homes while others have decided to wait for the scene to clear, and are spending the night elsewhere.
A National Grid spokesperson said 13 houses in the area were evacuated as a precaution as crews cut off natural gas supply to the hit main and started repairs. The homes were declared safe again shortly after.
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