A natural gas leak near downtown Crawford forced the evacuation of residents on Tuesday afternoon.
No injuries were reported, Oglethorpe County Fire & Rescue Chief Rocky Miller said.
The leak was caused when workers hit a high-pressure natural gas line on North Woodlawn Drive about 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The Devils Pond Volunteer Fire Department responded, along with firefighters from Crawford and Lexington, EMS personnel and three deputies from the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was a great team effort, probably one of the best team efforts in some time,” Miller said. “It reminded me of my Army days. It was a great joint effort. I really appreciate everybody for their help.”
Miller said the line “spewed quite a long time,” but it was repaired and the all clear was given at 7:30 p.m.
As a precaution, EMS personnel, firefighters and deputies evacuated residents along North Woodlawn, from Smokey Road to W.H. Crawford Road. That included apartments on Forrest Hills Circle and Huntington Lane.
Miller estimated fewer than 50 people were evacuated. The Chamber of Commerce opened the Crawford Depot for those who couldn’t stay with families during the evacuation.
Firefighters brought water and Oglethorpe County Senior Center director Corie Robinson used one of the senior center’s buses to return residents to their homes.
Miller said several residents likely were still at work, so first-responders stayed in the parking lots to tell people coming home to open their windows for a couple of hours as a precaution.
“We had really qualified people doing the hard work,” Miller said. “It was a very successful result.”