Residents of a university apartment complex across from the Levin College of Law were evacuated for about four hours Friday morning after a gas line broke.
At About 9 a.m., the driver of a mini excavator working in Corry Village collided with a gas valve box, breaking the adjacent 4-inch plastic gas line and sending fumes across the apartment complex, said Douglas Mercer, the supervisor from Gainesville Regional Utilities who was overseeing the repairs.
Within minutes, GRU repair personnel alongside police and fire department officers arrived on the scene and closed off all entrances, said Thomas Germain, residence life coordinator at Corry Village.
"We take gas issues very seriously," he said.
Gas lines to three buildings were cut off immediately, and residents were evacuated and instructed to not use any radio devices as they could trigger an explosion.
"I could smell the gas all the way down here," said Rena Buchan, the assistant director of Corry Village, who was more than 100 yards from the broken pipe at the time. "It was a big deal."
By 1:30 p.m., the pipe was fixed and gas facilities were restored to all bulidings.
