A section of downtown Cobourg was closed most of the day following a natural gas leak on Thursday morning.
Police diverted traffic at Division and Swayne streets after a gas meter was damaged as a result of a motor vehicle collision.
A Union Gas representative says a man on an ATV towering a trailer drove onto a west-side sidewalk and struck a gas riser outside a building on Division Street.
Natural gas began venting out, prompting firefighters to evacuate the area as a precaution.
The evacuation encompassed 18 units housing businesses and apartments on both sides of Division Street, according to fire captain Todd Wilson.
Among those forced to leave their business was Peter Briggs, an investment consultant with the Investors Group.
“You could definitely smell it – it was in our office and worse on the street,” he said. “We have no windows in our office – just air conditioning – so it will probably take awhile to get the smell out.”
Cobourg police advised the public – pedestrians and motorists – to avoid the area and setup traffic detours.
Brian Alexander, Union Gas Cobourg field supervisor of utility services, says it will likely take the entire afternoon to repair the damage.
“Probably later on this afternoon,” he said around the noon hour. “In terms of safety, we want to keep the road closed while we work.”
Around the same time, there were reports of another gas leak north of Division along Fairbanks Road. It’s believed a small tractor digging in front of a home struck a gas line.
No injures were reported in either incident.
The evacuation was lifted around 5 p.m.
Comments