Gas leak scare in Ballard comes two months after Greenwood explosion

A natural gas leak in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood Wednesday forced a few people to leave their homes. Seattle firefighters handled the evacuation.

TRANSCRIPT

Corey Orvald, SFD spokesperson: Our response here today, evacuating the homes, was to do the best we could to maintain the safety of the community. We now know we didn’t have to evacuate the homes but it was done as a precautionary measure.”

Around 10 a.m., a crew installing a water line struck a 4-inch gas pipe on the residential block.

Orvald said only six people were briefly evacuated and then allowed back home after utility crews stopped the leak.

Orvald said it smelled like rotten eggs when she arrived on scene. And she reminds people to look out for that smell.

Orvald: “When you smell it, call 911. We have equipment, we can come out, we can take air readings. We know how to respond and we want to make sure the community is safe.”

Seattle Fire and other responders were on high alert today. That’s because this gas leak comes just two months after a major gas explosion about 20 blocks away in the Greenwood neighborhood.