Gas line damaged in Lawrence, no injuries reported

Damage to a 2-inch gas line at a house in Lawrence Wednesday morning resulted in the evacuation of one person from the home, National Grid spokeswoman Wendy Ladd said.

“A contractor was working at 223 Hollywood Crossing in Lawrence adding an extension to the home,” Ladd said. “They were excavating for a larger foundation, when the garage partially collapsed into the hole damaging a 2-inch steel gas service line to the home.”

Ladd said no injuries were reported and National Grid responded to the scene. She noted that the gas company provides a service that will mark all underground utilities so they will not be struck when digging including water, natural gas, fiber optics and electric lines.

According to National Grid figures, every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged, nationally. Striking a single underground utility line could cause injury, repair costs, fines, and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants contacting 811.

New York 811 serves as a single point of contact to notify National Grid and other participating utilities of planned digging, drilling or blasting. The utilities will clearly mark their buried facilities prior to the start of excavation to ensure customer safety and to prevent damage.

State law requires contacting New York 811 at least two full working days, but no more than 10 working days, before excavation. The service is provided free of charge. Visit http://bcove.me/2jj1uovo to view a short video about calling 8-1-1.