Philadelphia gas leak prompts evacuations at school, apartment in East Germantown
Safety concerns abound after natural gas explosion at construction site
PGW has the leak under control, but several roads are still closed with people being asked to avoid the area.
EAST GERMANTOWN - Safety concerns linger in an East Germantown neighborhood following a natural gas explosion at a construction site Thursday morning.
PGW has the leak under control, but several roads are still closed with people being asked to avoid the area.
What we know:
It was quite the wake-up call for residents in Northwest Philadelphia after a gas line rupture caused an explosion near the intersection of North 18th Street and Olney Avenue.
Chunks of concrete and dirt were still strewn across Ogontz Avenue from the explosion. PGW says the rupture was caused by a "private contractor" doing work in the area.
Schools evacuated after gas line ruptured in East Germantown: officials
An explosion at a construction site in East Germantown has prompted evacuations nearby.
What they're saying:
"Should we leave? Oh my god it’s so big!" Said Melanie Huynh, as she is heard in a video she captured from her classroom at Central High School. The video shows huge plumes of smoke coming from the construction trench in the street.
"All of the sudden I felt like the floor shake. And it was like boom. And I look up and everyone was running towards the window," said Huynh said.
Huynh said students and teachers were in her class taking video of the explosion before the school was evacuated. Students relocated to Girls High School across the street. Residents of the nearby Regency Village Apartments were also told to leave their homes.
"They said there was an explosion right outside the building. So I grabbed by wife and my dog and came outside," said James Davenport, a resident of Regency Village.
"It was 8 a.m. and I was watching "Touched by an Angel," reading my prayer and I heard fire trucks," said Deborah Jones, of Ogontz.
Jones' peaceful morning turned into chaos as emergency crews whipped down her street and choking smoke filled the air.
"Smoke was just pouring out, pouring out of the ground. And I could smell gas really bad," Jones said.
About 10 a.m., fire officials gave the all-clear to the public and PGW workers were back making repairs. Central High School re-opened just after 10:30 but many students chose to take the rest of the day off.
"I don’t feel safe going back in. It’s too much, I’ve gone through a lot today," said Huynh.
What's next:
Gas service remains available for all customers except an apartment building at 5600 Ogontz Avenue, according to PGW, who says crews are working to restore service.
Although students were let back into school most left for the day saying there wasn’t much learning with so much distraction after the event.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the Philadelphia Fire Department, as well as students from Central High School and nearby residents.