IVINS — A neighborhood in Ivins and a portion of Red Mountain Boulevard was closed off and partially evacuated Thursday after a private construction crew broke a natural gas line.
The closures happened just after 11 a.m., after the gas leak was reported in the Red Mountain West neighborhood, according to Santa Clara-Ivins Police officers at the scene.
Police closed off Red Mountain Boulevard, one of the main roads between Ivins and Santa Clara, from E. 800 South to around E. 650 South for about an hour and told neighbors to evacuate as Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue moved in.
SCI Fire Division Chief Con Fulde said they initially went in being told it was a mainline but it proved to be a three-fourths of an inch supply line to a home. While small, the main concern was the wind.
“We had to evacuate the homeowner because the wind direction was right into the house,” Fulde said. “After the gas company showed up, it took 4 minutes to shut it down. They crimped it real quick.”
Just after noon, the all clear was sounded.
Jo Whitney said she was working in her backyard when she overheard the gas line breakage from a private construction crew working at an adjoining home.
“They’ve been doing some construction for a little while back there, and I just heard a couple of guys just say … we broke it. I think we broke it,’” Whitney said, adding that she never smelled the telltale signs of natural gas. “I went inside and did a couple of things and went out and the firetruck was there.”
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