Gas line break prompts evacuations, road closures in Midtown Fort Collins

Businesses were evacuated in Midtown Fort Collins after a construction vehicle struck a gas line at Horsetooth Road and College Avenue, closing roads in the area for several hours.

The vehicle struck an 8-inch gas line near the road construction at the site shortly after noon, according to Poudre Fire Authority spokesman Chris Wolf.

College Avenue was closed between Bochman Drive and Monroe Drive, and Horsetooth Road was closed between Mason Street and Mitchell Drive.

Xcel Energy crews responded to the gas leak at approximately 12:45 p.m., and the gas line to the broken pipe was shut off by 2:30 p.m., Xcel spokesperson Mark Stultz said in an email.

College Avenue reopened shortly after 5 p.m., PFA posted on Twitter. 

Wolf said an initial evacuation notice was sent to a wide radius as a precaution through LETA, the emergency communications tool used by Larimer County, but a more narrow evacuation notice for a one-block radius around the Horsetooth-College intersection was sent out shortly after.

Residents in the area were asked to stay inside and keep windows closed. Some reported being evacuated from the Old Navy store, Barnes and Noble, Foothills mall and the Cinemark movie theater at the mall.

Foothills spokesman John Gaffney said the mall received the original reverse 911 call asking customers and employees to evacuate. About 30 minutes later, they were told it was OK to go back in, he said.

But Chick-Fil-A, McCormick Automotive and the strip mall on the northwest corner of College and Horsetooth all remained under evacuation while crews worked to release the gas in the broken line.

Five businesses' gas lines were affected by the break, but no residential customers were impacted.

At first, Wolf said it might take hours to get the remaining gas from the pipe. To clear the gas from the pipe, Stutz said they planned to use a technique called flaring, where the remaining gas is burned off from the valves until all of the gas is out of the pipe.

Flaring was not needed after all, Stutz said, and the remaining gas from the pipe was completely out by 4:40 p.m. PFA announced that College Avenue would be open by 5:10 p.m.

Stutz said crews began working to remove the excavating equipment about 5 p.m. so Xcel Energy crews could asses the damage and begin repairs. Work to repair the broken pipe could continue into late Monday or early Tuesday morning, he said.

To sign up to receive LETA 911 emergency notifications, visit leta911.org. If you're having a problem with your gas service, including a gas leak or pressure issues, contact Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-2999.