Tradesmen working on a Hunter Street building sparked a multi-agency emergency response on Saturday morning, June 17, after striking and rupturing a natural gas line.
Firefighters and police were called to the scene at 515 Hunter Street where the arterial CBD road was quickly closed, an exclusion zone was established and nearby shopfronts and buildings were evacuated.
NSW Fire & Rescue inspector Andrew Dunkin was on the scene just after 1pm where six residential units and a number of businesses had been evacuated as a precaution while firefighters took lead on rendering the scene safe.
The road remained closed for several hours between the Union Street and Worth Place intersections before it was re-opened and residents were allowed to return about 2.30pm. the gas connection, however, remained isolated to around five buildings in the neighbourhood as utility crews made repairs to the pipeline before "re-lighting" supply to individual sites.
A spokesperson for the utility, Jemena Gas, said crews were working around 4.30pm to complete repairs before they would make attempts Saturday night to reconnect isolated properties, however it could be morning before all connections were restored.
Local police assisted with traffic control, directing eastbound drivers along Hunter Street via Union Street, while westbound traffic was similarly diverted, though the city's tram line appeared to be running uninterrupted around the Worth Place intersection.
The gas provider was working to cut the utility and drain residual gas from the lines, Insp. Dunkin said, before firefighters would inspect the scene to determine the atmosphere was safe before residents and shoppers could return.
While there were no reports of injuries, and no immediate threat to anyone in the vicinity, Inspector Dunkin estimated crews were likely to remain on the scene past 2pm before the exclusion zone was struck.
