Fire Dept: No solution yet for broken gas line in Little Haiti

Responders from the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department are working to fix a major gas leak in Little Haiti, officials said Saturday afternoon.

The gas main, located on the corner of Northeast 2nd Ave and Northeast 50th Street, was struck by a piece of construction equipment at 12:25 p.m., officials said.

Businesses and homes located in the neighborhood might notice a faint smell of gas, but fire department spokesperson Ignatius Carroll said it is not enough to call for police to evacuate the area.

“The levels are pretty low,” Carroll said. “We’ve also already cleared and secured the area.”

After the gas line was punctured at 12:25 p.m, responders and police closed roads around the site of the leak. Carroll said drivers can expect some traffic delay while Teco Peoples Gas, police and firefighters try to fix the problem.

“Right now, they’re having some difficulties trying to cap the leak,” Carroll said. The broken line is 20 feet below the ground.

The city’s Hazmat unit will usually try to contain a leak or spill, but Saturday’s damage required Teco’s maintenance team. It is not known when the repairs will be completed.

Tweets from the Fire Department show responders at a “still active scene” in a neighborhood mostly filled with homes, business and Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame, a middle and high school.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Fire Dept: No solution yet for broken gas line in Little Haiti."