ATLANTA — Homeowners in northwest Atlanta say a city work crew struck a gas line during a water line replacement project last week.
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Residents told Channel 2’s Ashli Lincoln this forced natural gas into the neighborhood for nearly 30 minutes.
Nicole Harvin said she began recording the crew on her cellphone because she believed something was wrong before the digging even started.
“I started recording as soon as they got here,” Harvin said.
Video recorded by Harvin captures the moment the gas line was hit.
“I can’t make this up, they hit a gas line, look at this!” Harvin said in the video she showed Lincoln.
Residents said the incident happened Wednesday while an Atlanta Department of Watershed Management crew worked near their homes.
Harvin said she did not see workers check for underground utility lines before excavation began. Minutes into the project, she said, neighbors heard a loud hissing sound as gas escaped into the area.
“All you hear is really loud, sissss,” Harvin said. “I already knew what it was.”
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Stephen Ward, who lives across the street, said he rushed home after watching the situation unfold on his doorbell camera and feared for his dog’s safety.
“It was irritating,” Ward said.
Ward said residents should have been warned sooner.
“They ain’t alert me,” he said.
Harvin said she warned workers that neighbors had pets inside nearby homes and believes the gas fumes may have contributed to the death of her pet chameleon days later.
“The smell was horrible,” Harvin said. “I had my shirt over my face the first 15 minutes.”
The gas company repaired the damaged line.
Atlanta Watershed Management said it is looking into the incident but has not released a formal statement.
Harvin said the city still needs to repave her driveway following the repair work and that she has not received a timeline for when that will happen.
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