Evacuations lifted after gas leak in Southgate area

A commercial natural gas line was hit on Monday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of some shops in the Southgate area of Colorado Springs.

Repair crews clamped the line and worked on a permanent repair.

Famous Footwear and Bed Bath & Beyond both were evacuated due to the gas leak, which happened around 4 p.m. Evacuations were lifted shortly after the temporary clamp was installed around 4:30 p.m.

The fire department said a construction crew was doing improvements beside Famous Footwear when it ruptured a four-inch gas line. It’s unclear whether the line was marked improperly or was just overlooked by the crew.

“Most residential gas lines are an inch at most,” Lt. Stacy Billapando, a fire department spokeswoman. “So that shows you how much gas was coming out. We’re lucky that no one was injured or hurt.”