Officials: 15 homes evacuated after contractor hits gas line
A construction crew, working on local road improvements, struck and ruptured a gas line on Claflin Boulevard in Franklin Square Thursday morning Aug. 13, 2015. Several homes were evacuated but emergency crews were able to find and shut down the leaking line. Credit: Lou Minutoli
A contractor struck a valve on Franklin Square street on Thursday, causing a gas leak and forcing the evacuation of 15 nearby homes, officials said.
The incident occurred at about 9 a.m., forcing the temporary closure of Claflin Boulevard between Hempstead Turnpike and Fenworth Boulevard and Benris Avenue between Commonwealth Street and Jefferson Street, Nassau County police said.
A spokeswoman for National Grid said homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure until the area could be made safe. That occurred at about 9:30 a.m., officials said.
The spokeswoman said the issue has been resolved.
No one was injured.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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