Dozens briefly evacuated after natural gas leak reported in Bellefonte
Dozens of people were evacuated Friday from Bellefonte and Spring Township after a borough excavation crew ruptured an unmarked natural gas line.
The break was reported about 11:20 a.m. at the intersection of Manchester Lane and South Spring Street. Anyone within a one-mile radius was urged to evacuate until about 1 p.m.
Bellefonte Area High School and Bellefonte Area Middle School employees were among those who evacuated, interim Superintendent Tammie Burnaford wrote in an email. Students were not in school.
A borough crew was working on a sewer line when workers hit the unmarked natural gas line, borough manager Ralph Stewart said. The main valve was shut off, and Columbia Gas began making repairs to the ruptured line.
Several adjacent streets were closed for more than an hour.
Bellefonte and Spring Township police, Logan, Undine and Pleasant Gap fire companies, the Centre County Emergency Management Agency and the county sheriff’s office were among the responders.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 12:47 PM.