No injuries or property damage were reported after a natural gas line was cut by a fencing contractor working outside a Parksville home around noon Friday.
The Parksville Volunteer Fire Department and Fortis BC were called to 758 Soriel Rd. after the fencing crew struck the line while replacing a gate in a landscaped area alongside the home’s driveway.
“It was ironic, because we found one (gas) line, and worked around it,” said one of the workers, who declined to share her name. “There was a tree root below that, and when we started cutting the root we hit the other line below.”
The contractor promptly called 911 and turned off the gas metre to the house, she said.
Firefighters attended the scene in a precautionary role as Fortis contractors dug out a hole to access the damaged portion of the line for repair.
A neighbour in the home next door emerged during the incident with her dog and chatted briefly with firefighters before crossing the cul-de-sac. She said she had not been requested to evacuate.
“No, we just came out to go for a walk,” the woman said.
The fencing contractor said the line break was particularly surprising because her crew had just removed an old gate from the location and was preparing to pour concrete for replacement posts.
“I can’t figure out why that happened,” she said. “We were using the same holes. It was in the exact same spot.”