Residents were relieved to go back to their homes after a gas leak at a construction site caused officials to shut down the Turnpike between Griffin Road and Sunrise Boulevard and forced many to evacuate as a precaution.
As natural gas poured from a pierced line along the Turnpike in Hollywood on Friday, some neighbors told 7News they heard the commotion outside.
“Just the gushing sound and the firefighters were starting to get here,” said an area resident.
Others weren’t aware of it until they saw several notifications about it online.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” said a resident. “Kept popping up.”
No matter how they heard about it, all of them had similar concerns about what to do as it unfolded.
“They’re going to evacuate us,” said a resident. “Apparently it’s not safe. I might have to get a hotel.”
“I hope that’s not the case,” said a second resident.
Officials did end up asking many of those residents to temporarily evacuate their homes out of an abundance of caution.
“I had to call out of work,” said a resident.
Hours after the rupture, crews capped the gas line and officials issued an all clear, allowing all residents to go back to their homes.
While it was deemed safe for them to return, many had lingering concerns of any residual gas wafting through the area.
“Also have the scents inside our home, that’s a big concern for the family, definitely,” said a concerned resident.
Officials have worked to reassure residents that fire crews performed additional tests in the surrounding neighborhoods and found no residual gas in the air.
