Crime & Public Safety
Evacuations after construction crew damages gas pipe near Lincoln Park in Milwaukee
Five homes near Lincoln Park in Milwaukee were evacuated Friday night after a construction crew struck a gas line, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department. Reports to emergency services came in around 7:13 p.m.; the department’s initial notes attribute the incident to a construction crew hitting a pipe near 20th Street and Hampton Avenue.
Milwaukee Fire Department units and Milwaukee Police Department personnel responded to the reported leak. We Energies crews were also dispatched to the scene to assess and repair the damaged pipe. The leak was eventually stopped; emergency agencies communicated an evacuation order and checked the affected residences for safety.
Agency statements in the immediate aftermath indicate no loss of utility service to customers and that the five evacuated homes were inspected and deemed safe by first responders. The We Energies spokesperson referenced on-scene repair work and said the company was still investigating the precise cause of the damage. The Milwaukee Police Department advised residents to evacuate, per the fire department’s account.
At this time the documented facts are that a construction crew struck a gas line, crews stopped the leak, and evacuated homes were declared safe after inspection. Further details about why the line was hit, any citations, or repairs beyond stopping the leak have not been provided in the supplied account.
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