Gas leak shuts down north Vancouver intersection, prompts evacuation

Firefighters responded to a gas leak Thursday morning after heavy equipment struck and ruptured a natural gas line at the edge of Vancouver’s Green Meadows neighborhood.

Vancouver Fire Department crews were dispatched at 8:52 a.m. to the intersection of Northeast 72nd Avenue and 78th Street for the report of an odor.

The first crew on the scene could see a vapor cloud above the reported location of the leak, said firefighter Eva Scherer. 

Additional resources were called to the scene, including officials with NW Natural gas company and Vancouver police, who were needed for traffic control, Scherer said. A hazardous materials response unit was also dispatched with specialized gas monitoring equipment.

The intersection was closed while NW Natural shuts down the gas line. Multiple responders were still at the scene shortly before noon.

Firefighters evacuated people from an apartment building as a safety precaution and warned nearby businesses about the situation, Scherer said.

Construction workers — who, according to the city’s Public Works department, were working on a private subdivision project — also evacuated to a safe distance.

Officials did not have an estimate for when the incident would be resolved. Around noon, firefighters were relaying air quality readings to dispatchers, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at the Columbian.