At least 10 homes were evacuated Thursday afternoon when firefighters were called to a major natural gas leak on Northwest 99th Street, directly in front of Columbia River High School.
Clark County Fire District 6 responded just after 4 p.m.
The street — a major arterial for the city, serving the Lake Shore and Felida neighborhoods — closed as crews worked to find the source of the leak. According to an agency news release, the smell of natural gas was reported up to 11 blocks from the site.
The leak reportedly happened after a contractor working on a water line project in the area accidentally punctured a gas line. The fire district responded with four fire engines and a battalion chief.
No injuries were reported.
By 6 p.m., the evacuations had been lifted and residents were allowed to return to their homes, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian, although Northwest 99th Street was expected to remain closed for several more hours.
According to the news release, NW Natural will be coordinating repairs to the gas line.
