City workers accidentally cut a gas line Tuesday near Southwest 11th Street and Southwest Sixth Avenue.
"They dug into some roots and the roots that they dug up were also extended and wrapped around a nearby gas line," said Gainesville Regional Utilities spokesman Dan Jesse.
Because of what Jesse called a "low risk" that the gas could ignite, firefighters stood by while GRU repaired the damage.
"There was no danger because the fire department had it roped off so you didn't have people getting too close," Jesse said. Since the gas line was just a service line and not a main line, the neighborhood did not lose service. Only one residence was evacuated while GRU workers made their repairs.
No one was injured. When natural gas escapes it blows straight up and quickly dissipates, Jesse said, making it improbable that the gas could ignite. Natural gas is not poisonous, so it is not harmful.
