DALLAS - Residents at a Dallas apartment complex remained out of their homes Saturday evening after Atmos Energy crews discovered a gas leak during a routine inspection.
Gas leak inspection leads to mass evacuation
What we know:
Dallas Fire-Rescue was dispatched at 7:23 p.m. Friday to the Alexan Riveredge Apartments in the 120 block of Turtle Creek Boulevard after Atmos workers discovered the leak outside the five-story building.
No gas readings were detected inside the complex, which was about 90% occupied. However, all residents were evacuated, and power to the building was shut off while Atmos crews worked to isolate the leak.
The evacuation followed a separate fire at the complex earlier Friday. Firefighters were dispatched at 3:06 p.m. to a fire in the kitchen of a fourth-floor apartment. The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system.
No injuries were reported, and DFR said the fire was not believed to be connected to the gas leak.
Residents receive temporary assistance
What they're saying:
The Office of Emergency Management and Crisis Response assisted with crowd control and resident support.
DART provided buses where residents could stay cool while crews worked at the complex.
Most residents were able to retrieve their vehicles and arrange hotel rooms. The American Red Cross provided overnight accommodations for five residents.
Apartment management is developing a contact list of tenants who need assistance beyond their overnight stays. That information is being shared with the Office of Emergency Management and Crisis Response.
Gas service could remain off until Tuesday
Dig deeper:
While isolating the original 16-inch gas main, Atmos technicians discovered a parallel 3-inch main that also had to be purged.
Atmos said the apartment building and six businesses on Levee Street could remain without gas service until Tuesday.
Two DFR units remained at the scene Saturday afternoon to provide scene safety.
By 5:30 p.m., Atmos had capped both gas lines and stopped the active leak. Crews then began a standard two-hour period of air monitoring.
The monitoring will determine whether power can be restored and residents can return to the building. As of Saturday evening, officials had not announced when residents would be allowed back inside.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by Dallas Fire Rescue.