Mansfield Families Return Home After Gas Leak
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MANSFIELD (CBSDFW.COM) - A gas leak in Mansfield has been repaired, but crews from Atmos Energy are still working on a few things Thursday near the intersection of Matlock Road and Chretien Point Drive. Still, the dozens of families who had been evacuated can now return home.
A construction crew on Wednesday accidentally struck a six-inch natural gas line. Atmos Energy was immediately called to the scene and worked through the night to fix the problem. When asked how the construction workers could have missed the line, Atmos Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Altieri explained that excavation is the greatest risk to underground gas lines. Workers should always contact the company before digging and use a hand digger instead of a backhoe.
Close to 60 homes had to be evacuated. Residents stated that fire officials started knocking on doors and asking them to leave. They added that they could smell gas at the time, and believe that it was filtering through the storm drains. Atmos Energy paid to have those homeowners stay in hotels for the night.
Even while returning home on Thursday morning, some Mansfield residents felt a little uneasy. The smell of gas still lingers in the air and some streets remain blocked off while crews continue working at the site of the gas leak.
"It's absolutely frightening," said Guy Davis, who lives close to the gas leak. "I think gas, the aroma, was overwhelming. When you walked out the door, you knew there was gas. You just didn't know from what direction it was coming from or how big the problem was."
"They say it's been fixed, but we're kind of fearful," added Hugo Rodriguez, who lives across the street from the gas leak. "Is it going to hold up or leak again? The thing that was going through my mind was if somebody goes out here, smokes or lights up something, it's going to explode or something."
According to the Mansfield Fire Department, officials with Atmos Energy are running tests of the air quality and making sure that everything is safe. Right now, there are no concerns about people being back in their homes.
Meanwhile, school buses with the Mansfield Independent School District had difficulty getting in and out of the neighborhood directly impacted by the gas leak on Thursday morning. The buses were running about 25 minutes late and, if crews are still in the area on Thursday afternoon, more delays could be expected.
