Citizen Staff Writer
DAVID L. TEIBEL
dteibel@tucsoncitizen.com
A broken two-inch natural gas main forced the evacuation of a dozen people in midtown Wednesday morning and disrupted traffic, authorities said.
A construction crew installing a storm drain at East Prince Road and North Mountain Avenue broke the line about 9:35 a.m., said Libby Howell, a spokeswoman for Southwest Gas Corp.
Westbound Prince was closed until about 9:50 a.m., Howell said.
People were evacuated from buildings on the intersection’s northeast corner, said Capt. Tricia Tracy, a Tucson Fire Department spokeswoman.
The leak was shut off at 9:45 a.m. and by shortly before 10 a.m. Prince was open and people were allowed to return to the buildings.
Holaway K-5 school, at 3500 North Cherry Ave., about three blocks from the leak, was not evacuated.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
People return to midtown buildings after gas line break forces evacuation