Santa Barbara city firefighters temporarily evacuated the residents of four Mesa homes on Wednesday morning after an excavator hit an underground gas line.
The first responders told people inside two other homes near the rupture at 1509 Shoreline Dr. to shelter in place and close windows, Battalion Chief Jon Turner said.
An estimated 60 workers building a new home at the address self-evacuated prior to emergency crews arriving.
“As soon as I heard hissing, I told everyone,” said carpenter Eddy Williams.
Firefighters arrived at 10:40 a.m., Turner said. Nearly an hour later, a gaseous odor still lingered at and around the scene.
The smell reached at least a half a block away, all the way to Santa Cruz Boulevard, where traffic cones blocked vehicles from entering the 1500 block of Shoreline Drive.
To stem the flow of the gas, crews pinched the line shut, Turner said.
By 12:50 p.m., authorities had turned the gas off after drilling down to reach the line, he said, adding that’s an average length of time for that type of job.
Not long after, the evacuees were allowed to return home, Turner said.
By 1:30 p.m., traffic once again flowed along Shoreline.
