Fire and utility crews responded to a gas leak Monday morning after a line was hit by third-party workers digging for fiber optic lines.

Between the time of the call and firefighters arriving at the scene in the 400 block of East 13th Street, a fire started on the ground and utility pole, Interim Fire Chief Chris Hull said.

The department was able to stop the pole fire in a matter of minutes. There were no injuries and crews from Atmos Energy are at the scene. Gas has been turned off for some surrounding houses and power is out for some homes.

At this time, it is unclear if the gas line was marked while a crew was digging, Hull said.

“They’re doing horizontal directional drilling for the new fiber installations,” Hull said. “When we arrived, it was on fire – the utility pole was on fire. In the process of putting out the utility pole, the gas fire was also extinguished.”

Hull said he estimated it was only on fire for a few minutes when they arrived.

Aaron Bishop, a spokesperson for Atmos Energy, said when there is damage to their lines it is predominately from third-party contractors.

“We always remind homeowners, contractors, call 811 before you dig,” Bishop said.

Crews are now working on repairing the line to restore the flow of gas to residents. If customers have been interrupted, crews will go in to relight appliances.

Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].

To donate to support our community journalism, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/y4u7stxj