Gas leak causes evacuations

Photo: Contributed - Paul Cousins

Workers try and cap a gas leak in Vernon Thursday afternoon.

9 p.m. update: FortisBC reports all repairs were competed to the broken gas line at 8:59 p.m. Thursday. 

The leak was capped at around 2 p.m., but it took another seven hours to finish the job.

There were five homes without gas for the day, crews started to re-ignite their appliances after 9 p.m.

1 p.m. original story: Several homes have been evacuated in Vernon, after an excavator hit a gas line.

The incident happened near 29 St. and 41 Ave., the homes that are evacuated are on 29 St.

FortisBC is on location working to stop the leak.

The leak is one block behind W.L. Seaton Secondary school.

The smell of gas is wafting over the area, people are being asked to stay away from the scene.

More to details to follow.