Demolition crew ruptures Cedar Rapids gas main; homes evacuated.
The headline reads: “Demolition crew gets bad information, hits Cedar Rapids gas line”. But that will be of little comfort to the owners of Kelly Demolition whose actions yesterday saw several homes evacuated and the closure of a nearby street.
An excavator operated by the company struck the 1/2-inch gas line around 9:40 am. Firefighters evacuated about a half-dozen people from surrounding houses, and police blocked part of 12th Avenue SE near Metro High School.
The workers said MidAmerican Energy had signed off on the demolition and claimed the gas was shut off. One worker, who did not want to be identified, said they knew there was a problem when they heard hissing and smelled natural gas.
A MidAmerican Energy crew pinched off the gas line, and 12th Avenue was reopened after about an hour. No one was hurt in the incident.
Read more here.
