Broken Natural Gas Line in the 50 Block of Church Street

On Thursday, Dec. 14 at 1:12 p.m., a 9-1-1 call was received from the 50 block of Church Street. The reporting party stated a construction crew hit a gas line at the residence.

City of Mountain View Fire Department units were dispatched at 1:12 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 1:17 p.m. Fire crews discovered a three-quarter-inch steel natural gas line actively leaking above ground, and the gas meter had been sheared off the utility riser. Based on the information available at the scene, it appears that the gas meter was struck by a small motorized front loader.

Two construction workers were evacuated from the site. Fire Department and Mountain View Police Department resources evacuated the residents adjacent to and across from the residence on Church Street. The residents of Dalma Drive directly behind the scene were also evacuated. The residents of Olive Court and Fairhaven Court were told to shelter in place. The Mountain View Police Department closed traffic in both directions of Church Street while units and equipment were on the scene.

Fire crews deployed a charged water line to protect the scene from the potential ignition of flammable gas. A PG&E crew arrived on the scene and used a plug to stop the flow of natural gas. Control of the broken pipe was acquired at 2:24 p.m.

There were no reports of injuries. The scene was turned over to PG&E for further repairs and to conduct their investigation into how the incident occurred. The evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes, and the shelter in place order was lifted. Traffic was reopened in both directions of Church Street while PG&E crews continued their work at the site.