Leak forces evacuation, road closure

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Several people were evacuated from the Union Bank

building on Dover Drive and a stretch of Westcliff Drive was closed

Tuesday afternoon following a line break that caused a gas leak in the

building, officials said.

The gas pipe was broken by a truck that was painting the building,

said Newport Beach Fire Battalion Chief George Pearce. No one was

injured, nor was there any danger of the building blowing up, he said.

Employees on the third floor smelled the gas and called the fire

department around 1:35 p.m., Pearce said. Five units initially responded

to the call. Two fire engines, a truck and the battalion chief stayed to

complete the call.

Police taped off the area surrounding the building so that The Gas Co.

could repair the lines and diffuse the leaked gas. Westcliff Drive from

Dover to Irvine Avenue was shut off to traffic for several hours.

The evacuation was done merely as a precaution, said Sid Teasley,

spokesman for The Gas Co.

“We don’t expect or anticipate any danger,” he said. “It’s very

unlikely.”

He said workers were going to pinch the line at the median on Dover to

control the flow of gas and then mend the break and put the pipes back

together.

The work was expected to be completed by the end of the day Tuesday,

he said.