A municipal work crew punctured a natural gas pipeline Monday morning in a south Minneapolis neighborhood, prompting the brief closure of some streets nearby and the evacuation of two houses, a utility spokeswoman said.
No one was harmed by the leak, which occurred about 8 a.m. in the 3700 block of 41st Avenue S., said CenterPoint Energy spokeswoman Rebecca Virden.
A few blocks around the area were off-limits to traffic as utility and Fire Department personnel assessed the scene.
Fire officials ended the street closures and evacuations about 90 minutes later, said Assistant Fire Chief Cherie Penn.
The crew struck the line while conducting scheduled cleaning and the lining of a water main, said Minneapolis spokesman Matt Lindstrom.
Paul Walsh
