ORANGE : Gas Leak Forces Evacuation of 500

A gas leak forced the evacuation of about 500 people Tuesday from a building that houses the Orange County Juvenile Court and Probation Department, authorities said.

The evacuation began about 9 a.m. after a backhoe accidentally ripped through a two-inch natural gas main at the side of the Manchester Building in the 300 block of the City Drive in Orange.

Battalion Chief Ray Montoya of the Orange Fire Department said the gas leaked from the line for about two hours.

“We were pretty lucky that no one was hurt,” Montoya said. “When that much volume (of natural gas) spews into the air, it can be very touchy.”

About 200 probationers and juvenile offenders were among those evacuated from the five-story building, a Juvenile Court spokeswoman said.

Montoya said authorities cut off the electricity to the building after pockets of natural gas seeped inside and accumulated in the attic.

Fire and police officials blocked off Dawn Way to prevent motorists from entering the building’s parking lot.

Fearing that a small spark could ignite an explosion, fire officials told employees and visitors that they had to leave their vehicles in the parking lot until the gas dissipated. Some employees walked over to the nearby the City Mall while a crew from Southern California Edison Co. attempted to repair the broken main.

Employees and others were allowed to return to the building about 1 p.m.