Residents in an east-end Toronto neighbourhood are being allowed to return home after a gas leak Friday afternoon prompted an evacuation of the area.
Police ordered the evacuation after a construction crew hit a gas line in the Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue around noon. The gas leak was eventually capped shortly before 5 p.m. by Enbridge Gas crews.
In a series of tweets Friday night, police said residents could return to their homes on foot. They were being asked to not use their vehicles, and to avoid any area where Enbridge Gas crews were still working. They are expected to work throughout the night and Saturday.
Police also asked residents not to light fires in the area, and to avoid using a barbecue until 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
The gas leak also prompted Toronto Hydro to temporarily cut the power to approximately 4,500 customers as a safety precaution.
A Toronto Hydro spokesperson said in a tweet Friday night that power in the area for most customers was restored by 7:45 p.m.
Approximately 22 customers in the Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue area, however, remain in the dark.
A number of TTC routes continue to divert as a result of the earlier gas leak:
- 12 Kingston: Diverting both ways via Gerrard Street East, Clonmore Drive, Warden Avenue
- 22A Coxwell: Diverting both ways via Lawlor, Gerrard and Main
