Gas Leak Causes Evacuation

Nearly 200 people who had been evacuated after construction workers digging a trench hit a Gas Co. pipeline on the eastern edge of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., were allowed back into their offices and classrooms early this afternoon after the gas line was capped, university officials said.

Gas Co. officials secured the damaged line around 1:15 p.m. (PST), officials said. The Los Angeles County fire department had also responded to the incident that occurred about 8:30 a.m. There were no reported injuries.

Construction workers were digging behind the Veterinary Medicine Center and Banfield, the Pet Hospital when they struck a gas line, said Brett Boston, WesternU director of environmental health and safety and security. Staff and students from both buildings were evacuated, and moved to other on-campus areas, he said. As an added precaution, the university’s business center had been evacuated for about two hours.