Three homes evacuated after gas line ruptures

Southeast Missourian

Three homes in the 500 block of County Road 205 were evacuated after a construction vehicle ruptured a gas line Thursday evening.

Gordonville fire chief Mark Koerber said no one was injured. He said eight members of his department responded to the call just after 7:30 p.m. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department provided mutual aid, which included gas detection equipment.

Koerber said the rupture allowed natural gas to spill out freely from the pipe but that it was not a hazardous materials incident because the gas evaporates quickly.

"It's not like an oil spill," he said.

Koerber said the Cape Girardeau Police Department and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department officers cut off vehicle access to County Road 205 between Bloomfield Road and Highway 74 while AmerenUE technicians were en route to the scene.

"A car driving by could spark it. That's why the road has to be shut off," he said.

The gas was shut off just after 8:30 p.m. and line repairs commenced, Koerber said. County Road 205 was opened moments later.