A gas leak on St. Elmo Avenue this morning led to the evacuation of six nearby homes, but everyone is now safe and back in their homes, authorities said.
The leak has been stopped, said Bruce Garner, spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department. St. Elmo Avenue was closed for a time, but is now reopened, he said.
“All risks have been eliminated,” Garner said.
The leak occurred in the 5500 block of St. Elmo Avenue about 10 a.m. Garner said a contractor was digging holes and installing utility poles when he inadvertently broke into a natural gas line. Workers immediately evacuated the site and called 911, Garner said.
The avenue was blocked off, and the homes were evacuated as a precaution, Garner said.
Technicians with the Chattanooga Gas Company were called in, and they closed the leak at 11:25 a.m., he said.
“Unfortunately, these are not that uncommon because of all the construction in city and county,” said Garner. “But we still have to take each incident very seriously.”