A natural gas leak forced road closures, evacuations and trolley-service delays Friday in a busy commercial district near the Parkway Plaza mall in El Cajon.
The flammable vapors began wafting around the intersection of Petree Street and North Marshall Avenue in El Cajon about noon, when a construction crew ruptured a gas transmission pipe, 2 inches in diameter, beneath the road crossing, said Sonny Saghera, a spokesman for Heartland Fire & Rescue.
Firefighters and police evacuated a restaurant and several other businesses on nearby Jackman Street and shut down traffic lanes near the site while crews from San Diego Gas & Electric were en route to repair the line.
There were no reports of anyone suffering any ill effects from the fumes.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System officials suspended light-rail service in the area as a precaution due to the problem, offering trolley customers bus rides between the agency’s El Cajon and Gillespie Field stations.
Utility crews got the leak under control shortly before 4 p.m., SDG&E spokeswoman Sara Prince said. Trolley service in the neighborhood resumed shortly thereafter, she said.
Repairs to the gas line were expected to be complete by the evening, according to Prince.
– City News Service
