Turtle Creek apartment cleared to restore power, gas after leak forced multi-day evacuation
DALLAS - Residents of a Dallas apartment complex will be able to return home Thursday after a gas leak forced a multi-day evacuation of the building.
What's New:
On September 23, Atmos Energy says the Factory Design District Apartments was cleared to have its gas and power restored.
The energy company said it conducted a walkthrough with Dallas Fire-Rescue, and all readings were normal.
Atmos says it is working with Dallas Fire-Rescue to help residents safely return home. DFR says the building's management will coordinate with residents to begin reoccupation no earlier than Thursday, September 24 at 9 a.m.
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Residents in the dark on timeline to return to Turtle Creek apartment complex after gas leak
Residents of a Turtle Creek apartment complex still don't know when they'll be able to return home after a gas leak forced a building-wide evacuation last Friday.
The backstory:
Residents of the apartment complex hadn't been able to return home since last Friday, when Atmos Energy crews discovered an outside gas leak at the apartment complex.
Although no gas was detected inside the five-story, 325-unit building—which is about 90% occupied—precautionary measures forced a mass evacuation and a shutoff of building power.
Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed Atmos technicians successfully capped both the building's gas lines, stopping the active leak Saturday evening.
No gas readings were being picked up inside the building as of Sunday afternoon. However, Atmos technicians were still picking up small gas readings outside the building after capping the gas lines.
A Dallas Fire-Rescue unit remained on site on Tuesday as Atmos crews continued their work.
Local perspective:
Resident Acacia Harris tells FOX 4's Lori Brown the evacuation has caused her to lose her supply of frozen breast milk, which had been building for months.
"And who's going to give me the time back for the late-night pumps or make sure that my baby has what she needs in this situation? No one can give me that time back. No amount of money could recoup," Harris said.
What you can do:
Atmost Energy has a claims process for residents who were impacted by the evacuation. If you were one of the residents impacted, a claim can be filed here.
The Source: Information in this story comes from Atmos Energy, Dallas Fire-Rescue and previous FOX 4 reporting.