Miramar

Sinkhole swallows excavator in Miramar, prompts water, gas shut-offs

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Nearby businesses say they will have to wait a week to get water restored, days before gas and maybe get their electricity restored tomorrow, NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports.

Crews are working to fix a sinkhole that opened on a major street in Miramar on Tuesday, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said.

An excavation machine tumbled into a trench at a work site on a Miramar-area street, knocking out water service to part of the neighborhood and causing a natural-gas leak that prompted some evacuations in the 8040 block of Miramar Road. The impact of the fall caused the equipment to rupture water and gas lines, prompting nearby businesses and residents to shelter in place.

Due to the rupture, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) was forced to shut down the gas line and water was turned off in the immediate area. Nearly 1,000 customers were impacted by the shut-offs, according to the utility company’s outage map.

No injuries were reported in connection with the sinkhole.

Emergency crews cleared people out of several nearby structures as a precaution due to the wafting fumes and advised others in the area to shelter indoors until further notice.

City crews were called to fix the broken water pipe, and San Diego Gas & Electric sent in personnel to halt the gas leak and fix its equipment, fire officials said.

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