'Dangerous level' of natural gas entry prompt in downtown Louisville | Local news

Louisville, Ky. (WDRB) -Several buildings in downtown Louisville, including the U -Bahn -Hall, were evacuated on Tuesday morning, and a gas leak in the region were examined as firefighters.

The crews of several agencies reacted quickly and the danger had passed at 2 p.m., according to a post by Louisville Metro Emergency Services.

The fire brigade of Louisville, the Metropolitan Sewer District and LG & E reacted to the 200 Block of South 5th Street between Jefferson and Liberty Street after receiving reports on a leak on Tuesday at 9:20 a.m.

The crews arrived at the scene and began to test the air. They quickly discovered a high gas level within buildings and outside, including the sewer. The fire brigade assistant of Louisville, Bobby Cooper, said on Tuesday afternoon in a media conference that tests (lower explosive limit) were over 10%, which indicates the possibility of an explosion.

“We quickly took on dangerous levels – high levels – natural gas outside and within buildings and within the sewage system,” said Cooper.

Officials then explained a Hazmat emergency of level 2 and evacuated several buildings in the area from 5th Street to 6th Street as well as in the streets of Jefferson and Market. About 40 firefighters in Louisville reacted, including two Hazmat crews and eight units, said Cooper.

The crews with monitoring equipment then entered the buildings and began to open windows. The evacuations had no effect on the U -Bahn corrections from Louisville, the Justice Center, the Rathaus or all buildings west of 6th Street.

No injuries were reported, but Cooper said that a viewer had been treated for an asthma attack near Street 6. And Jefferson, but he was not sure whether it was related to the leak.

The MSD officials supported the Louisville firefighters by opening Manlohe covers to check and ventilate the gas mirrors. Cooper said that lively winds contributed to replacing the gas and the LEL values ​​started significantly.

The crews continued to work to determine the cause on Tuesday afternoon, but Cooper said that they believe that the leak comes from an 8-inch plastic line, “5th Street runs between Jefferson and Market”.

An LG & E spokesman said the crews switched on the gas along the 5th Street on Tuesday afternoon and still tried to find the exact location of the leak. You have to do some excavation work to dig part of the street, and that could take by Wednesday or later.

Cooper said that the latest extreme weather had been a factor for the leak, with several supply lines near each other, which may expand and contract while the weather fluctuated. That was not confirmed immediately.

Cooper said that there is no longer any immediate risk of an explosion, but asked people to avoid the area from 4th Street to 6th Street and from Chestnut Street to Market Street. This includes both pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic.

“It is in the middle of the afternoon, it is a working day, and we have people who are still going through the area,” said Cooper. “You see the yellow adhesive tape we have.

Anyone who thinks they smell a smell of natural gas in part of the city is asked to call 911 to report it.

The mayor of Louisville, Craig Greenberg, said the buildings would probably not be reopened on Tuesday and the people who were evacuated should only try to return on Wednesday.

Top stories:

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.