More than 600 workers were evacuated Monday because of a gas leak at the same construction site in Parole where a worker was killed in a crane accident the previous week, Anne Arundel fire officials said.
Twenty Anne Arundel firefighters were called at 9:17 a.m. to 1910 Annapolis Towne Centre Drive when a construction worker accidentally struck a 2.5-inch line pressurized with 99 pounds of gas, fire officials said.
The leak caused gas to permeate the 11-story building under construction at the Annapolis Towne Centre, the multimillion-dollar residential, retail and office complex being built.
Workers were evacuated immediately, and Forest Drive was shut down between Route 2 and Riva Road in Annapolis, fire officials said.
No one was injured, but on April 30, construction worker Denis Umanzor, 44, of Silver Spring, was killed dismantling a crane 200 feet in the air at the Mariner Bay residential tower at the same complex.
Tom Bozzuto, CEO of The Bozzuto Group in Greenbelt, which is overseeing the project construction, said in a statement that the incidents were unrelated and accidental.
“To have two accidents occur at one construction site is extraordinarily unfortunate and, in this case, coincidental,” Bozzuto said.
“Safety is of utmost importance to us, our employees and our subcontractors,” he added. “We implement extremely stringent safety protocols at each of our sites, including routine inspections by independent safety consultants. Nonetheless, despite the best of efforts, accidents can still sadly happen.”
Workers had returned to the construction site by early Monday afternoon after the leak was controlled, and Baltimore Gas and Electric verified that the building most directly affected by the leak was safe, said Matthew Tobia, fire department spokesman.
“I applaud the emergency responders from the fire department and BG&E who were able to safeguard the lives of the people working on site and bring this incident under control quickly,” County Executive John R. Leopold said in a statement.
