A natural gas line was damaged on Main Street between Centre Avenue and 2 Avenue June 10 resulted in an evacuation of businesses and a detour downtown, according to a release from RCMP.
“Shortly after 6 p.m. this evening [June 10], RCMP were alerted that a gas main was damaged during construction on Main Street between Centre Avenue and 2 Avenue,” the release stated.
Businesses in a one-block radius of the incident were cleared out, according to RCMP, as a “strong odour of gas [was] prevalent in the area.”
RCMP cordoned off the area from Centre Avenue to 2 Avenue and Bowers Street to the east of First Street, preventing both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
“Because it is a main, gas to homes may be shut down temporarily,” the release stated.
The City of Airdrie Twitter account posted at 9:20 p.m. ATCO Gas and the Airdrie Fire Department had stopped the flow of gas and secured the line break; however, the detour remained in place.
At 10:05 p.m. the City tweeted, “The Main St. gas line incident has ended. ATCO remains on scene completing repairs. AFD has cleared the area and roadways have reopened.”
Shortly before 9:45 a.m. June 11, ATCO confirmed via its Twitter account that the line had been “safely repaired and gas supply has been restored in the area.”
“Crews with ATCO ID have started completing relights. If you are still without natural gas, contact 1-800-511-3447,” the tweet read. “We thank everyone for their patience.”
