Gas leak in Spanaway forces evacuation of 14 homes
UPDATE 8:10 p.m.: The leak has been stopped, Central Pierce Fire and Rescue is reporting. Residents can now return to their homes. Original story below:
A gas leak Thursday night in Spanaway has forced the evacuation of 14 homes, according to Central Pierce Fire and Rescue.
The evacuation zone is on 14th Avenue East from 200th Street East to 204th Street East, according to a tweet from Central Pierce.
Puget Sound Energy, the gas utility responsible for the system in that area, has to dig two access points to combat the leak, Central Pierce Lt. Ben Shepard said.
Construction equipment working in the 20200 block of 14th Avenue hit the gas line around 5 p.m., Shepard said. The street is lined with single family homes.
“The first (fire) crews could hear the gas coming out of the pipe,” Shepard said.
Central Pierce immediately ordered seven nearby homes evacuated.
“Once we realized that PSE had to dig down to a second hole to clamp the line we evacuated an additional seven homes,” Shepard said.
He could provide no estimated time on when residents could return to their homes.
After the leak is clamped, firefighters will enter and inspect every home for residual gas before allowing residents to reenter, Shepard said.
No injuries have been reported.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 7:25 PM.
