WATSONTOWN, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A scary moment in NEPA Monday afternoon: Nearly a dozen people were evacuated from their homes after a gas leak was detected.
Union County residents had quite a scare after a gas leak occurred right outside their homes.
It happened just after 4:00 p.m. in Watsontown.
The leak started after a rotting tree fell onto an exposed section of gas line running across a creek just off of Route 405.
Residents report hearing a loud bang, followed by a strong odor of natural gas.
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A cloud of vapor could be seen leaving the pipe, caused by the gas exiting at such a high pressure.
According to UGI, 11 people were evacuated from their homes, and parts of Route 405 were shut down as crews worked to close the valve.
They say it only took them around 20 minutes to close the gas line, but chances are, it will take a while to repair.
"Everybody's back in their houses. There's no more evacuations, there's no more gas leak. I mean, the leak ended pretty quickly because we came and shut it out. We have a crew there now to replace the damaged section of the gas main, and they will work overnight. I don't know how many hours that will be, but it can sometimes take a little while to fix the line," UGI Utilities Principal Communications Leader John Mason said.
UGI says three customers, two residential and one commercial, are still without gas and will be until the line is fully repaired.
No residents were taken to the hospital from the odor of gas.
