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Public Safety

Gas Line Break Near SDSU Prompts Evacuations

A construction crew accidentally broke a natural gas line near San Diego State University today, prompting the evacuation of about a dozen nearby apartment residents for about 90 minutes.

Workers digging in a vacant lot at 55th Street and Lindo Paseo accidentally ruptured the 2-inch line about 7:15 a.m., San Diego Gas & Electric Co. spokeswoman April Sharp said.

The rupture did not cause a fire, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department dispatcher said.

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Police and firefighters blocked both streets, and Hardy Avenue, and helped about a dozen residents evacuate from a three-story apartment building as a precaution. Evacuees were allowed to wait in Peterson Gym until they could return home, San Diego police said.

Sharp said SDG&E crews got the gas line shut off by 8:40 a.m. and began making repairs.

Classes were unaffected, although students could not reach the campus on 55th Street for about 90 minutes, a campus police official said. Officers reopened the roads around 9 a.m.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.