All lanes reopen after natural gas leak in Lexington

COLUMBIA,SC (WOLO)- All lanes on Sunset Boulevard have reopened after a natural gas leak caused the road to be closed for several hours.

Officials say a contractor was working in the area when a piece of equipment struck a natural gas pipe, causing it to leak. Acting fast, law enforcement shut down the 5400 block of Sunset Boulevard and evacuated 10 surrounding businesses.

“We’re coming in and closing it down right now,” Elizabeth Nethercutt, Smashburger’s General Manager said. “Cause we had to turn it all off, lock the doors and then we had to evacuate. It’s one of our busiest nights we had to close down for.”

It took nearly two hours for crews to get it under control.

“There was never any threat to the public safety but you just want to move them out so everyone is at a safe distance,” Harrison Cahill, with the Lexington County Fire Service said.

Officials say the 90 minute long leak could have damaging effects underneath the pavement.

“Depending on where that gas leak is at there is enough force that it can move dirt and can affect how much support there is under that pavement,” Corporal Cameron Mortenson, with Lexington Police Department said.

Utility and road crews worked through the night to assess the damage.