BREAKING UPDATE:
PREVIOUS STORY:
An evacuation is underway in an area of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, due to a natural gas leak.
Spartanburg County Emergency Management said folks living in a half mile radius of Floyd Road and Floyd Road Extension have been advised to evacuate out of precaution.
Officials say a utility crew hit a natural gas line causing a leak.
The flow of the natural gas was stopped at 12:15 p.m. As of 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Piedmont Natural Gas crews are continuing to make repairs to the damaged line.
Piedmont Natural Gas said a third-party contractor was digging and hit a four-inch line.
Video below shows the scene of the leak about 11:45 a.m.
They said there are not any service interruptions for customers.
Some residents in the area got an alert on their phone that said “Natural gas will be shut off shortly. Residents should be able to return home soon, but do NOT return until a follow-up notice says it is safe.”
“We are aware that some residents outside the 1/2-mile evacuation area received the Wireless Emergency Alert for the evacuation notification.
“After the alert was sent, we contacted FEMA-IPAWS/WEA for review. They advised that there were no errors with the message. In summary, their explanation was that WEA alerts are distributed through cellular networks, and some “overshoot” can occur based on cell tower coverage, phone settings, whether location services are enabled, older devices, and whether a phone supports device-based geo-fencing.
“Alerts received well outside the intended area may occur for similar reasons, including “boomer” cell towers that reach phones outside the targeted area, phones with location services disabled, or devices that are not equipped to process device-based geo-fencing.
“The evacuation area remains based on the shaded area shown on the attached map: If you are uncertain whether you are in this shaded area then please click on the following link: https://sartopo.com/m/JU2JR1J, search for your address and if you are outside of the shaded evacuation area, there is no need to evacuate.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.”
“If you are within the 1/2-mile radius shown on the map, please calmly evacuate now. Avoid flames, sparks, smoking, or anything that could ignite gas near the leak. Use a safe route, keep roads clear for responders, and call 911 if you smell gas or need emergency assistance. To check whether you are inside the evacuation area, visit: https://sartopo.com/m/JU2JR1J Once the map opens, type your address in the top search bar where it says “Enter Address.” If your address falls inside the shaded evacuation area, evacuate now. If you are outside the shaded area, there is no need to evacuate at this time.”
“Charles Lea Center Main Campus (195 Burdette St.) is under this evacuation order. All Day Program participants are being relocated immediately to the Ingles parking lot at 2375 Chesnee Hwy, Spartanburg, SC 29303, where they will remain safely with staff in vehicles. DO NOT come to the Main Center for pickup. Please go ONLY to the Ingles location.”
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