Apartments Evacuated After Workers Cut Tulsa Gas Line

The Tulsa Fire Department says construction workers ruptured a natural gas line at 78th and South Utica on Thursday morning.

Firefighters say several buildings in the River Chase Apartment complex were evacuated as a precaution. Workers were installing utility poles when a piece of construction equipment struck a 2-inch residential gas line. 

ONG says the gas line was shut off at 12:24 p.m. Workers worked to repair the line and ONG had services restored by the afternoon.

About a dozen Tulsa firefighters were on standby in case the gas ignited.

“We're sitting here watching them, and then they hit the gas line, the guys kind of run a little bit, you see the gas shooting up in the air,” neighbor Jerry Orman said. “About 15 minutes later, you see about half the fire department here, which is a good thing.”