Gas main accident near Central High forces evacuation of multiple buildings
Initial reports suggested a construction crew struck a gas main, causing the eruption. No injuries were reported.
A gas main accident forced Central High, one of the city’s largest schools, to evacuate Thursday morning, as well as several buildings in the dense Olney neighborhood surrounding it.
Initial reports suggested that a construction crew struck a gas main before 9 a.m., causing the eruption, according to police.
La Salle University students and staff in the immediate area evacuated from four buildings, according to La Salle spokesperson Brian Kirschner. The university canceled all of its classes until noon and alerted its community of the incident via text.
Police said there were no injuries. Philadelphia Fire Department was also on the scene and reported no fires.
Monique Braxton, district spokesperson, confirmed the main break and said Central’s more than 2,400 students evacuated to the shared campus of Philadelphia High School for Girls and Widener Memorial School, a block from Central, which sits on West Olney Avenue at Ogontz Avenue.
An adjacent apartment complex was also evacuated, police said.
The location was declared safe by 9:15 a.m., according to PGW spokesperson Dan Gross. PGW service was interrupted at the apartment building at 5600 Olney Ave. but undisturbed for other customers, he said.