Two manhole covers flew off in the middle of a downtown intersection Thursday afternoon in an apparent gas leak, prompting the closure of several major traffic arteries at the onset of the evening rush hour.
Firefighters, BGE workers and investigators from the state?s Department of the Environment flocked to the scene, at the corner of Charles and Lombard streets, as the surrounding streets were blocked off.
Workers detected natural gas underground at levels that were not considered dangerous, a BGE spokeswoman said, and they were trying to pinpoint the “scope and source” of the gas.
Authorities tested the air in the surrounding buildings and decided not to evacuate them when no gas was found, a fire spokesman said.
A traffic officer was standing in the area at about 2:30 p.m. when the manhole covers blew off, fire Chief Kevin Cartwright said. Initial tests indicated that natural gas, methane and possibly other unidentified substances were in the area, he said.
Linda Foy, BGE spokeswoman, said workers were still trying to determine what, if anything beside natural gas, was there. Meanwhile, traffic was snarled through swaths of downtown as the evening hours approached.
People asked firefighters if they could retrieve their cars or pull out of parking garages on blocked roads.
