By Clynton Namuo
The Union Leader
SOMERSWORTH, N.H. — Firefighters didn’t have to go far to deal with a gas leak this afternoon.
A water department crew installing a pipe to the fire station on Maple Street for a future sprinkler system inadvertently hit a gas line in the process, Chief Don Messier said.
A firefighter was actually watching the work being done around 1:15 and saw a backhoe strike the line.
“It makes a loud, high pitched noise,” Messier said.
The crew immediately scrambled to get a fire engine out of the building, Messier said. It was a good thing because aside from what was on board, firefighters didn’t have access to any of their equipment.
The fire station and two nearby elderly housing complexes, with upwards of 50 people, all had to be evacuated, Messier said.
Unitil sealed the leak around 1:45 this afternoon and crews are working to replace the pipe.
An ambulance was called as a precaution and Berwick, Maine firefighters assisted with evacuations, Messier said. No one was injured.
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