550 homes, businesses evacuated in Dartmouth after natural gas leak

HALIFAX – A natural gas leak in Dartmouth prompted the evacuation Tuesday of about 550 homes and businesses.

The evacuation ended over lunchtime about four hours after it began when Halifax Fire said roads in the area were reopened after Heritage Gas stopped the leak.

The leak occurred after a contractor working on behalf of the city punctured a 15-centimetre natural gas main on Gaston Road in Dartmouth  at around 8:30 a.m.

First responders went door to door to make sure residents were leaving the area for their own safety.

‘The police and the fire department showed up and evacuated our building,” said Trevor Lawson, who lives a hundred meters from source of the leak.

Barry Ross, a resident who was forced from his home, said he was frustrated because it was the second gas leak in the area in the past year.

“You think they’d know where the gas lines are by now, or at least have a blueprint or something,” he said.

“Our whole lives get uprooted in a second just because someone screws up when they should know better.”

Students at Prince Arthur Junior High and Southdale-North Woodside School were told to remain inside until the leak was contained, and Hollett said a daycare was evacuated as well.

Halifax Transit buses provided shelter for people who were evacuated from their homes or businesses.

No injuries were reported, and officials say there are no lingering health risks.

“The gas is going straight up in the air it’s a cool, windy day, which is helping dissipate that gas very nicely for all parties concerned,” said Phil McNulty, executive officer for Halifax Fire.

A two-block section of Portland Street was closed to pedestrians and vehicles while Heritage Gas finished repairs to the line.

With files from Natasha Pace, Global News