PORTAGE, Ind. (WLS) – After a gas leak caused major problems, repair crews continued working on Wednesday morning.
This led to evacuations and an hours-long closure of I-94 in Porter County, Indiana on Tuesday.
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NIPSCO crews continued to carry out repairs late into the night, but the gas line, which the company said was damaged by third parties, has since been sealed.
The natural gas, mixed with gravel and soil, flowed out of the ground. It brought traffic to a standstill for hours and caused annoyance and disruption.
Officials said Tuesday afternoon that a contractor not affiliated with NIPSCO damaged a gas line near the Ameriplex industrial park off I-94 in Portage.
The break led to a long closure of the highway in both directions between state highways 249 and 49.
“It’s a flammable gas. If someone is driving on the highway and there’s a spark or something, I think there’s a concern that it could ignite because it was so close,” said Portage Police Chief Mike Canadiano.
Around 40 employees of Tosca, a packaging company near the leak site, had to be evacuated.
“We were evacuated at about 12:30 p.m. They decided to send everyone home because gas was coming into the building and you could smell it,” said evacuated worker JH Sizemore.
Approximately six hours after the closure began, NIPSCO was able to stop the leak and eventually reopen traffic on all lanes of I-94.
But for many drivers the damage had already been done and their day ruined.
Portage officials said they were told by NIPSCO that air quality in the area is being monitored and there is no danger to residents.
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