Gas leak leads to evacuations in South Philadelphia

Gas leak from construction leads to evacuations in South Philadelphia

Residents in South Philadelphia were evacuated on Monday due to a gas leak. FOX 29's Chris O'Connell reports.

PHILADELPHIA - A gas leak from a construction site forced the evacuation of more than 30 homes in South Philadelphia on Monday.

It happened on the 1700 block of South 4th Street.

Dan Merchant and Neely Jones are thanking Philadelphia firefighters for saving their dog, Julio. They were at work and Julio was home alone during the leak. Neighbors alerted first responders, who went inside and rescued the dog from inside the couple's home.

"They took him out they made sure his crate was with him. They took great care of him, giving him water, and they put a blanket over his crate to make sure he was feeling safe," Neely explained.

Fire officials say a contractor excavating for new houses pierced a main gas line. Evacuations started when the smell of gas filled the block. As of Monday night, residents were slowly allowed back into their homes.

Many of these residents not only remember the deadly gas explosion in this very neighborhood 25 days ago, some actually here felt that explosion.

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