Rupture Disruption

About 500 people were evacuated from a business area in Orange on Thursday when a contractor working at a fast-food restaurant ruptured a 3-inch line that spewed natural gas for almost an hour before it was shut off.

Authorities ordered the evacuations as a precaution minutes after the incident was reported at 8:10 a.m. They also closed Main Street between La Veta and Palmyra avenues. The line was ruptured at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant under construction at a strip shopping center at West Culver Avenue and Main Street.

The odor of natural gas wafted downwind until firefighters arrived and sprayed a constant stream of water over the ruptured line, preventing fumes from escaping and minimizing the likelihood of fire and explosion. Gas crews were finally able to shut off the line at about 9 a.m.

Orange Fire Department spokesman Tom Hesketh said no one was injured and evacuations were orderly. Most evacuees were medical workers from the seven-story Providence Building, which includes a day-care center and is across the street from the restaurant.

Firefighters took gas readings at St. Joseph Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, both about a block behind the Providence Building, and declared both facilities safe.

“Luckily, we didn’t find any gas pockets. However, we put them on standby and ready to be evacuated if it became necessary,” Hesketh said.

When the accident occurred, most people in the area quickly became aware that something was amiss. The gas, which is pumped through the pressurized line, was hissing loudly and the odor was obvious.

“We smelled a lot of gas and a few moments later were told to get out. It was orderly. Everybody was like, ‘Great, we get time off,’ “said Mark Galliano, who works in the Providence Building.

Marlene Ferry, director of the San Jose Preschool at Providence, said the children were on the playground when they smelled gas.

“It made us dizzy. We brought them in and within minutes the firefighters were in the lobby, telling us to evacuate,” Ferry said. Her staff marched the youngsters, holding hands, across the street to the rose garden at St. Joseph. “The kids behaved as well as the adults,” she said.

Matthew, 3, said he viewed the incident as an adventure: “It was fun but stinky.”

A block away, a dozen health clinic workers camped out under the awnings of an auto repair shop, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. Others wore surgical masks to filter the smell of gas.

Cathy Teschke, a registered nurse, said no one really felt in danger. “We do drills for this kind of thing all the time,” she said.

Having said that, Teschke recalled that Thursday was statewide Y2K Hospital Drill Day. “Oh, it just hit me,” she said. “Well, what a strange coincidence.”

Firefighters declared the area safe at 10 a.m. and allowed people to return to work.

Jack Armoudikian, owner of a custom shirt shop that was evacuated, complained that the two-hour incident cost him some sales. The construction company that ruptured the line should have been more careful, he said.

“This is a big deal for us,” Armoudikian said. “We lost a lot of business.”

Authorities said the line was ruptured by a backhoe operator working for Specialty Environments Co. of Irvine.

A spokesman for Southern California Gas Co. said the contractor did not call before digging to have the gas line’s location marked on the ground.

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A.M. Emergency

500 evacuated from Orange office building and surrounding area.