West Rogers Park gas main damaged; crews restore service

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Crews worked overnight to repair a gas main after it was damaged Friday night, leaving 200 homes without service in the city's West Rogers Park neighborhood.

Service has now been fully restored, but evacuations were ordered as a precautionary measure after a Chicago Water Department crew accidentally hit a gas line Friday afternoon.

Lorna Jones and her neighbor walked by just after it happened.

"As we turned to come down our block on Fargo, we saw this gas shooting out," she said. "We thought it was fire."

"It was scary to see that gas coming out and smell it," said Denise Johnson. "I was just thinking the block was going to blow up. That's how bad it was."

Firefighters arrived and ordered the evacuation of 300 homes.

"As soon as it happened, the people who were working on it immediately knocked on the door asked us to evacuate," said Nano Yakoub.

Peoples Gas later shut off service in the area and closed the 2500-block of West Fargo.

Similar recent incidents have resulted in far worse. Earlier in the month, a Morgan Park home was destroyed after a fiery explosion. Investigators believe a city water crew struck a gas pipe causing a leak.

Late last month, huge flames in the Edison Park neighborhood when a construction crew hit a gas main and 80 homes were left without gas service.

Although service wasn't fully restored at the time, hundreds of residents in West Rogers Park were allowed back in their homes Friday night.

Each house has to undergo a 30-minute inspection by Peoples Gas before the service is turned back on. For residents who were not home during the main break, a card has been left with information on how to obtain an inspection to get service restored.