Residents in Alameda are breathing a sigh of relief after evacuation orders were lifted following a gas leak incident at the intersection of Fifth and Pacific streets. The incident was caused by a third-party construction crew, who reported "this incident is a third party dig" to PG&E.
The gas leak was first reported around 1:17 p.m., prompting fire officials to respond to the scene. A total of 100 students and personnel, along with 30-40 residents, were evacuated from the area as a precautionary measure due to concerns about potential harm from the gas leak.
"I assume it was one of PG&E people or someone knocked on my door, yelling 'major gas leak!' And everyone was evacuated," said Cole Stewart, a resident. However, some residents reported being blocked in by their cars and had to leave on foot.
The evacuation shelter set up at Mastic Senior Center on Santa Clara Avenue remained operational throughout the incident.
According to Alameda Fire Department Division Chief Dave Port, there is no immediate threat from the gas leak, and the evacuation order issued was primarily for safety precautions. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
PG&E confirmed that they have technicians in the area who are available to relight pilot lights if needed and are working on repairing the damaged gas line. The repair work is ongoing as of 4 p.m., with all evacuation orders lifted and residents allowed to return to their homes.
The incident highlights the importance of calling 811 for any size digging projects, according to PG&E officials.
The gas leak was first reported around 1:17 p.m., prompting fire officials to respond to the scene. A total of 100 students and personnel, along with 30-40 residents, were evacuated from the area as a precautionary measure due to concerns about potential harm from the gas leak.
"I assume it was one of PG&E people or someone knocked on my door, yelling 'major gas leak!' And everyone was evacuated," said Cole Stewart, a resident. However, some residents reported being blocked in by their cars and had to leave on foot.
The evacuation shelter set up at Mastic Senior Center on Santa Clara Avenue remained operational throughout the incident.
According to Alameda Fire Department Division Chief Dave Port, there is no immediate threat from the gas leak, and the evacuation order issued was primarily for safety precautions. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
PG&E confirmed that they have technicians in the area who are available to relight pilot lights if needed and are working on repairing the damaged gas line. The repair work is ongoing as of 4 p.m., with all evacuation orders lifted and residents allowed to return to their homes.
The incident highlights the importance of calling 811 for any size digging projects, according to PG&E officials.
anyway, good on PG&E for getting those technicians out ASAP to fix that gas line! It's crazy how quickly it can escalate from a little digging project gone wrong to a whole neighborhood being evacuated 
at least everyone is safe and sound. And yeah, calling 811 before any digging projects sounds like a no-brainer, I wouldn't want to be stuck dealing with an emergency when you could've just called ahead 
. And yeah, calling 811 is def a good idea now - you don't wanna risk messing up some underground pipes 
. Glad the PG&E crew is on it! 
that everyone's safe! I mean, can imagine being stuck in your own home because of a gas leak? 
And yeah, it's super annoying when you're blocked in by your car and have to leave on foot... it's like, hello can't we just get outta here?! 
. And yaaas, calling 811 is a lifesaver... like, what's the worst that could happen if you accidentally hit a pipeline? 
just heard about this gas leak in Alameda, gotta be crazy... people got evacuated 'cause of a "third-party dig" at construction site lol what kinda careless move is that? 
anyway its good the emergency team responded quick & all is well now 
just hope those residents get their lives back to normal after this stressful day 
The fact that 811 was even an option is kinda genius too, just think about all the lives it's saved from digging mishaps 
. Hope those PG&E techs can fix that pipe ASAP so we don't have any more drama in Alameda 
I was thinking, how crazy is it that someone has to call 811 just because they're gonna be digging a hole? Like, what's next? 
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. And wow, 100 students got evacuated from school because of this... talk about overcautious? 
"When you pray for more, you give away what little you have." Life can be unpredictable, and sometimes we're forced to deal with unexpected setbacks like gas leaks! Thankfully, everyone's safe, and the community came together to provide support 
Didn't they have, like, emergency exits or something? 
Anyway, glad everyone made it out safely!