Update: 11:30 a.m.
Residents are now returning to the two apartment buildings that were evacuated in Kelowna this morning after a main natural gas line was struck, resulting in a gas leak.
Natural gas has now been turned off in the area where two apartment buildings have been evacuated in Kelowna.
Crews have been working on the scene near Harvey and Ethel to find the source of the gas leak and cut the flow of gas.
RCMP on the scene said it was believed a work crew on Ethel struck the line.
Crews are onsite responding to third-party damage to natural gas system at intersection of Harvey and Ethel in #Kelowna. Updates to come.
— FortisBC (@FortisBC) August 29, 2017
Update: 10:25 a.m.
A second apartment building is now being evacuated after a natural gas leak in the area of Harvey and Ethel.
Fire fighters on the scene have reported ratings of 35 parts per million in the parkade under the second building.
After those readings, they moved to evacuate the building at 1720 Ethel Street, across from the first evacuated building —the Coppertone Gate residence.
Evacuated residents of Copperstone Gate, a 55+ building, said the evacuation was orderly but some residents were reluctant to leave.
Gerald Knight, who lives in the building and who is also a volunteer fire warden there, said everyone left but some needed assistance. The building has 55 suites and about 70 people live there. Not everyone was home at the time.
The building’s manager, Allan Clausen, said he heard the loud hissing of the gas leak as he walked out of the building and knew immediately between the sound and the smell in the air that a gas line had been hit.
Police on the scene said it’s believed the line was hit by work crews working on Ethel Street. No one was injured in the incident
Clausen said there is a strong small of gas in the lower floors of Copperstone Gate at the end of the building facing Ethel Street.
Fortis crews are at the scene along with fire and police.
Original:
Residents in an apartment building near the corner of Ethel Street and Harvey Ave. in Kelowna.
The Kelowna Fire Department is responding to the call after reports of a main natural gas line break in the area.
RCMP are also on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the three floor building.
The entire building has now been evacuated while RCMP check the building to make sure all residents are out of the building.
The Capital News has sent a reporter to the scene and will update with more information when it is available.
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