Community Corner

Gas Leak Capped, Evacuation Order Lifted

Update, 4:15 p.m.: 

By Bay City News

An evacuation order was lifted and roads mostly reopened this afternoon after a gas line that was accidentally ruptured by a construction crew this morning in Alamo was capped, authorities said.

The leak, which was reported around 10:35 a.m. at 3195 Danville Blvd., prompted road closures and evacuations within a roughly 1,000-foot radius, affecting both homes and businesses, including those in the Alamo Plaza Shopping Center.

Residents of the evacuated areas are being allowed to return home
and businesses are reopening, San Ramon Valley Fire spokeswoman Kimberly
French said.

Most roads have reopened, except for Danville Boulevard between Stone Valley and Las Trampas roads, French said.

She said the rupture occurred when an East Bay Municipal Utility District crew struck a 1.5-inch line with a backhoe.

PG&E crews were able to stop the leak around 3:30 p.m., utility spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said.

It took crews several hours of digging and jackhammering to be able to make the needed repairs, Sarkissian said.

Update, 3:30 p.m.: 

A California Highway Patrol officer monitoring traffic on Stone Valley Boulevard said that while there is no gas remaining in the broken line, PG&E crews are still fixing the rupture. Danville Boulevard and Stone Valley Road are now open. 

Update, 1:30 p.m.: 

By Bay City News

Homes and businesses near Danville Boulevard in Alamo have been evacuated because of a gas leak, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

The Alamo Plaza Shopping Center has been evacuated along with nearby businesses, and residents who live on Alamo Square Drive have been told to leave their homes immediately and go as far south as possible, according to the sheriff's office.

The area near the leak continued to smell of gas at 1:30 p.m. 

Residents have been advised to turn off all heat sources in their homes, lock all doors and windows, and take with them only essential items that can be carried. All pets must be on a carrier or a leash, emergency officials said.

Danville Boulevard is closed for about half a mile, between Las Trampas Road and St. Alphonsus Court, and the Stone Valley Road exit from Interstate Highway 680 is blocked off, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District spokeswoman Kimberly French said.

Motorists are advised to expect delays and to avoid the area if possible. The gas leak was reported at 3195 Danville Blvd. around 10:35 a.m. after an East Bay Municipal Utility District crew struck a 1.5-inch line with a backhoe, she said.

French said homes and businesses within a roughly 1,000-foot radius of the leak have been evacuated. In addition to crews from San Ramon Valley Fire, responders include sheriff's deputies, PG&E, the California Highway Patrol, EBMUD and the East Bay Regional Park District, which is evacuating the Iron Horse Trail.

"All the folks here on scene are working together to formulate a plan," French said. "As soon as it is safe to reopen the area and let people back in we will do so," she said. She said she did not have an estimate for when that would take place.

Update:
According to an article on KTVU, PG&E said the gas leak was caused when a third party contractor's crew hit an Alamo gas main.

BAY CITY NEWS--

Parts of Alamo are being evacuated because of a gas leak near Danville Boulevard, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

All residents on Alamo Square Drive have been ordered to evacuate immediately and go as far south on that street as possible, according to the sheriff's office.

Residents are advised to turn off all heat sources in their homes, lock all doors and windows, and take with them only essential items that can be carried. All pets must be on a carrier or a leash.

Motorists are also advised to avoid the area, which is near the Alamo Plaza Shopping Center.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc.

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