Car Crash Causes Gas Leak In Northeast Philadelphia
By Syma Chowdhry
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a sleepless night for residents who were forced to evacuate their homes after a car crash led to a gas leak in Northeast Philadelphia.
It happened around 3 a.m. Saturday when witnesses say the driver of an SUV lost control of his vehicle near the intersection of Academy and Comly Roads, crashed into a parked car and struck a gas vent, causing the gas leak.
"It sticks up out of the ground. They hit it, cut it," said one witness. "You could hear it hissing, just smelling like gas, big time."
The leak prompted the evacuation of several homes in the neighborhood. More than a dozen people were taken to a nearby fire station for temporary shelter.
"I saw like 12 fire trucks and cops everywhere," the witness said, "evacuating people from their houses over there."
A man and a woman inside the SUV were injured and taken to a local hospital. There was no immediate word on their condition.
PGW crews worked for several hours to repair the damage.
Residents were able to return to their homes a couple hours later.