A Belleville Firefighter stands on Front Street, during a gas leak evacuation, on July 25, 2016. (Photo: Twitter / @BellevilleFire)
Parts of downtown Belleville will remain closed overnight Monday and into the morning Tuesday, with police remaining on scene, after construction workers ruptured a gas line at Front and Campbell Streets.
It happened just before 5:00 p.m. and led to a full evacuation of an area from Bridge Street, north to Station Street and Coleman Street, east to Church Street.
After being bused to the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre for most of the night, residents of the McNabb Towers and Quinte Living Centre, located on the north end of Front Street, were able to return home around 9:30 p.m., with full gas and hydro services restored.
People living in the Church Street and Coleman Street areas were also allowed back around that time, but the rest of the downtown core, including Front and Pinnacle Streets between Dundas and Campbell, remains closed.
Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Greatrix says Union Gas Workers have done all they can to fix the ruptured gas line and will have to resume work Tuesday morning.
The majority of buildings that are still affected are mostly businesses, and Greatrix says one of the biggest challenges is making sure every building is safe to be entered again.
Greatrix says Union Gas workers should be on the site as early as 6:00 a.m., but couldn’t give a firm timeline on when things will be back to normal.
