SAUGUS — Route 1 in Saugus temporarily shut down Friday morning as emergency crews worked to contain a gas leak caused by a high-pressure main break.
Saugus Fire Chief Michael Newbury said the incident occured when construction crews installing new guardrails along the highway accidentally struck a natural gas pipe, causing it to burst.
“(Construction crews) did everything appropriately, but somehow, when they drilled into the ground to put a post in, there was a gas pipe there,” Newbury said. “It ended up being one of the mains along the highway that’s a high-pressure main that runs at 60 PSI (pounds per square inch), so there’s a lot of pressure behind it.”
Emergency crews were immediately called and 25 people were evacuated from a nearby building, including 15 from a daycare center, in front of 10 Frank P Bennett Highway as National Grid arrived on the scene alongside Saugus and State Police.
Although the highway was partially reopened around 1 p.m. National Grid was still working to contain the scene by Friday evening.
