A broken pipe released natural gas into an Old Town neighborhood well into Thursday night and Friday morning, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Jeff Mitchell.
Construction crews hit the line in the 2600 block of Juan Street just before 4 p.m. Thursday.
As natural gas began blowing into the area, firefighters evacuated some homes nearby as they evaluated the damage.
"It presents a lot of dangers," Mitchell said. "Gas is flammable, and that's why we have fire crews positioned in strategic areas. We've evacuated certain houses. We have streets shut down. We're limiting access for people to come in and out, so it's a big impact on the neighborhood."
Mitchell explained a pressurized 8-inch line is fueling the leak, and it will take SDG&E a long time, as well as specialized tools and employees, to cap the flow.
"The 3/4-inch line is actually what's broken, but it's right next to the 8-inch line, and it's too close to be able to repair without repairing the whole piece of 8-inch pipe," he said. "That's why it's going to take so long into the night and possibly into the morning to have it contained."
On Thursday night, it was unclear how many homes had been evacuated. Two families were still displaced on Friday morning as crews continued to work on the leak. Those evacuees received assistance from the American Red Cross.
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By Friday morning, SDG&E crews had capped one side of the gas line, but the other side was still leaking. Crews expected to complete repairs by 7:30 a.m.
SDG&E crews said they needed special equipment and personnel to handle the complicated repair. They even needed firefighters on standby in case the gas in the air ignited.
Residents were unable to drive through the impacted area Thursday night and Friday morning, as crews had shut down traffic on a large portion of Juan Street from Harney to Taylor streets.
