High-pressure gas leak forces evacuations in Morningside Heights
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- Multiple buildings in Morningside Heights were evacuated and subway service was disrupted following a gas leak on Wednesday morning.
Police say a gas main was struck during street excavation work around 11 a.m. near the intersection of Broadway and West 122nd Street.
The roar of leaking gas sent hundreds into the streets. For some, the ominous odor was terrifying.
Students at the Manhattan School of Music couldn't get out of their classrooms fast enough.
"I felt terrified, like something happened because we heard some really serious sounds while we were in the middle of the class," one student said.
It happened right outside the school where workers were digging in the middle of Broadway at 122nd Street.
"Our units responded in approximately five minutes and found a high pressure gas leak in a 20-inch main that was fractured by an excavation procedure that was going on Broadway, our procedures with this are usually to evacuate," said FDNY Assistant Chief of Operations John Sarrocco.
It took utility crews an hour to turn off the gas main. No one was injured, but seven buildings along Broadway were evacuated.
Subway service on the 1, 2 and 3 trains was temporarily shut down along the elevated lines above the street.
It was tense moments for residents who didn't know what to think.
"It seemed high pressure from the volume,. I mean, it was so loud that we could hear it four blocks away. So that's scary," a resident said.
The FDNY and Con Edison conducted safety checks throughout each structure and used gas meters to detect any presence of gas.
All readings were reported negative.
ALSO READ: 7 On Your Side helps homeowner paying over $80k for solar panels that weren't turned on
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
