Gas Line Struck, Closes Portion Of Baltimore Road
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A major gas leak in Southwest Baltimore shut down Edmondson Avenue and forced several people to evacuate their homes Wednesday afternoon.
Workers were evacuated, and CSX had to shut down the railroad tracks in the area. Roads around the area were reopened around 11:30 Wednesday night.
The Baltimore City Fire Department got a call just after 2 p.m. about hazmat in the 800 block of Ellicott Dr.
Contractors were in the area working on the railroad tracks when they struck a large gas main.
"We received multiple phone calls of a strong odor of gas in the area and that's what promoted us to respond. When we arrived on the scene you could smell the immense amount of odor on the area," said Blair Skinner, Baltimore City Fire.
No injuries have been reported, and several homes along Rosedale and Edmonson have been evacuated, nearly 20 people.
BGE is on the scene to investigate and turn off the gas.
Hazmat crews remain on scene, and residents evacuated are unclear about when they will be able to go home. A tent has been brought in for shelter.
"I was going to go into the house and he told me to not go in," said a resident, Dwayne Stewart.
The leak was seen as an inconvenience to residents, drivers and pedestrians.
"I came up the street and everything was blocked off," said Robert Starkey, Baltimore resident.
[WJZ reporter Ava-Joye Burnett]: "If you can't get through here, how much longer will it take you to get home?"
"About an hour and 30 minutes walking that way past the cemetery," said Phillip Matthews, Baltimore resident.
BGE said in a statement they are still currently on the scene as of 6 p.m.
"BGE is currently on the scene and in the process of making repairs to a gas main struck by a non-BGE contractor. Our crews are working as efficiently as possible while focusing on safety. One commercial customer is impacted,"
"I'm glad ya'll taking care of it because other than that we probably would have been in there sleeping and breathing it in," Stewart said.
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