Thousands of people were affected by a major gas leak in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday morning when 11 buildings had to be evacuated after a contractor dug into a high pressure gas main.
Buildings in the Kendall Square area were evacuated, according to fire officials; but all buildings have since been cleared.
The emergency response started when a contractor hit a high-pressure gas line on Binney Street, according to Eversource and fire officials. Eversource said the contractor was not working for them when the incident happened.
The entire stretch of Binney Street was shut down, from Broadway to Land Boulevard, along with Third to Roger streets to the Charles River and Broad Canal to Third Street. Streets with access points to Binney Street were also been closed off to traffic.
The initial gas line break was reported around 8 a.m. and the situation quickly escalated, Cambridge Fire Assistant Chief Thomas Cahill said. Gas valves on Third and Second streets have since been shut off by Eversource crews.
"Everything worked as it should have," Cahill said of the emergency response.
Cahill said it took an hour or two to clear the scene as crews took air samples.
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At least 4,000 people were affected by the gas leak, which spurred the evacuation of residences and businesses, including a day care facility, Cahill said.
All buildings have since been cleared and Eversource said the repair work was expected to be completed around 6:30 p.m.
No injuries were reported.
