Residents Evacuated After Quincy Gas Leak
QUINCY (CBS) – Several residents were evacuated early Friday morning after a large gas leak was discovered in a Quincy road.
Crews were working on West Squantum Street to repair a broken gas line when they opened the road and discovered the large leak.
The road was closed from Harvard Street to Granite Ave. in Milton. The westbound side of the road was reopened around 8 a.m., though the eastbound portion is expected to be closed for several hours.
Residents in the neighborhood reported a strong odor of gas.
Eight people were ordered to evacuate around 2:30 a.m. and two other people voluntarily left.
The residents stayed in a nearby hotel, and were allowed to return home around 9 a.m.
"It's natural gas. It's flammable, it's explosive," said Deputy Fire Chief Gary Smyth. "So it's all about ignition sources, keeping the scene safe. That's why we made the decision to evacuate a couple of those homes, just as a precaution."
Residents were asked not to turn on light switches to limit potential ignition sources.