GARDEN GROVE : Gas Leak, Small Fire Cause Evacuations
Several businesses along Garden Grove Boulevard were evacuated Wednesday morning after a worker accidentally ruptured a natural gas line, sending gas into the air and causing a small fire, officials said.
No one was injured during the 9:08 a.m. accident, which occurred close to a mall near Cypress Street. Officials evacuated 10 businesses for more than four hours as crews worked to seal the gas line, said Ed Lukas, spokesman for the Garden Grove Fire Department.
Officials were also forced to shut down Garden Grove Boulevard in both directions between Brookhurst and Nelson streets, Lukas said.
The accident occurred when a worker tried to weld a fitting to a gas line, said gas company spokeswoman Denise King. “He punctured the pipe and gas leaked out,” she said. “The flame from his welding tool ignited the leaking gas, causing a fire, which was extinguished within minutes.”
The leaking gas spread about 200 feet to the shopping center, prompting the evacuation and street closure, Lukas said.
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