JACKSON CENTER — Dozens of people had to evacuate their homes and businesses in Shelby County Friday afternoon.
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A gas line was hit in the area of the 200 block of W. Pike Street around 2 p.m.
Minutes later, residents within a half-mile radius were told not to go outside.
Ed Young lives on Pike Street.
“Never had nothing like this before,” Young said.
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A third-party contractor was doing fiber upgrades when they hit a six-inch high-pressure gas line, according to Village Administrator Drew Sosby.
Sosby said it’s important to make sure everything is double and triple checked before doing any work.
“You got all these infrastructure utilities in the ground, between not just gas, you know, water, electric. It’s very impactful,” he said.
Sosby said crews isolated the gas lines and checked readings.
All homes were tested and cleared.
“When you’re dealing with gas, there’s always that potential for an electric spark, which could be a domino effect and be really dangerous to the people that are inside, and it could be a domino effect,” Sosby said.
Crews will go out Saturday to fix the line.
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