LYNNFIELD — Construction crews at the Summer Street School may have dug a little too deep Tuesday morning.
Firefighter Jeff Fiorentino said the department received a box alarm call at 7:52 a.m. reporting a high-pressure gas-line leak at the school, located at 262 Summer St.
“A high-pressure gas line was struck in the front parking lot area of the Summer Street School and immediately we called National Grid to the scene,” Fiorentino said.
Fiorentino said, as a precaution, several residents from nearby homes were evacuated, but no injuries were reported.
He said National Grid worked on repairs with the assistance of some members of a construction crew who have been working at the site for about three weeks on a $17 million elementary school expansion project. The property has been fenced off and is closed to the public during construction.
“We did go door to door and evacuated some of the surrounding buildings and homes in the neighborhood to make sure they were safe,” Fiorentino said. “We did extensive testing and there was absolutely no gas in any of the houses we checked.
“At no time was anybody in danger. There were no gas readings in any houses and the gas was contained to the construction zone and the gas company did come down and shut down the gas.”
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said the line was fully repaired and work on the school construction project resumed after approximately two to three hours. By mid-morning, traffic on Summer Street had reopened.
The Middleton and Wakefield fire departments helped with in-town coverage, with members of the Middleton department assisting with evacuations.
Traffic was shut down for a little more than two hours on Summer Street between Todd Lane and Elizabeth Way with traffic diverted through side streets to allow motorists to safely bypass the affected area.
Dolan credited the fire department’s immediate response and the efforts of National Grid for making sure everyone was safe.
“We know that during excavation, a contractor working at the school parking lot hit a gas line,” he said. “Immediate action was taken by National Grid and the Lynnfield Fire Department to maintain public safety.”
