Homes Evacuated, Road Blocked After Tulsa Gas Line Hit

The Tulsa Fire Department has evacuated a few homes and blocked a major road after a gas line was hit Monday.

81st Street South between Mingo and Memorial is blocked as crews work to contain the gas leak.  This has caused a hassle for drivers all day, as police continue to turn them around.

Captain Joe Youngblood said they’ve also evacuated about a dozen homes north of 81st Street and 92nd East Avenue.  Because of the road closure, westbound traffic on 91st street from Mingo to Memorial is also backing up.

Youngblood said a construction crew working in the area hit an unmarked gas line just after 11:00 a.m.

He said ONG is on the scene and working to dig up the line to cap the leak.

The captain said they are getting high gas readings, but, so far, it hasn’t migrated into the neighborhoods.  He said if the fire department hasn’t told you to evacuate, there is no need to leave.

He said there are no reports of anyone becoming sick.

We spoke to residents of a nearby apartment complex who said it's been an inconvenience but otherwise hasn't impacted them.

Youngblood did advise people to avoid the area until the line is repaired, hopefully, in the next few hours.

Officials say the next step after crews cap the gas line will be to purge the line.  Once that is done, TFD will be able to release the scene to ONG crews, the road will be opened, and evacuated residents will be able to return to their homes.

News On 6 has a crew on the scene and will update this story as details develop.