A car crash Sunday evening damaged a gas line, forcing the evacuation of several homes in Richmond.
Cpl. Dennis Hwang with the Richmond RCMP said officers responded to the single-vehicle collision just before 6 p.m. The vehicle crashed into a residence in the 8000 block of Garden City Road near Blundell Road.
It severed a natural gas line, risking a gas leak.
Fortis BC spokesperson Nicole Bogdanovic said about 20 residents had to leave their homes while workers repaired the line.
Ahsan Bandeali owns the A&W restaurant at Garden City Plaza, and said he arrived to work that evening to see a fire truck in the area. Later, he said a firefighter came into the store and told everyone to evacuate because of a gas leak.
“The fireman said they had to drill into the ground and check the pipe,” Bandeali said.
Bandeali recalls being allowed back in around 8:15 p.m.
Although the ordeal interrupted the normally busy dinner rush at the restaurant, “at the end of the day, you’d rather be safe,” Bandeali said.
Workers were able to finish repairing the line by about 1 a.m., and residents returned home shortly after.
No injuries were reported.
