Offices evacuated in Brightleaf gas leak

A natural gas leak in downtown Durham forced the evacuation of nearby buildings Thursday morning, including restaurants and Duke offices in Brightleaf Square.

A worker accidentally cut a gas pipe underneath Main Street near Watts Street. A contractor was doing work underground at the intersection and accidentally hit a 4-inch pipeline, said Angie Townsend, spokesperson for PSNC Energy.

Approximately 150 Duke employees evacuated the Duke University Press and Duke Psychiatry offices, according to a Duke news release.

Duke employees could not re-enter the offices until 3:30 p.m. because the buildings had to be empty for two to four hours while they were inspected for traces of gas, said Vice President for Human Resources Kyle Cavanaugh.

“I want to commend the management in these two offices,” Cavanaugh said, adding that the University was in contact with local emergency officials. “It was a calm and collective evacuation—impact was localized on members of small buildings.”

The contracting company, All Star Underground, was installing a fiber optic line between two Duke buildings when Jim Berbube, the company’s owner, said it hit an unmarked line, WRAL reported. PSNC will investigate whether or not the line was properly marked.

In all, 23 businesses lost their natural gas service, Townsend said. Other buildings, including the Durham School of Arts, were evacuated, and traffic was directed around the area. The leak was stopped within 45 minutes of when the contractor called 811, a federal number intended to avoid instances of hitting underground lines while digging.

Some local business owners were frustrated by the accident. Rosana Silva, owner of Chamas Churrascaria, Piazza Italia Restaurant and Amelia’s Cafe, noted that she still had to pay employees despite the fact that she was not able to open back up for business until 5:30 p.m.