The San Francisco Fire Department and PG&E were involved in an operation lasting several hours after a gas leak prompted evacuations and a shelter-in-place order in the Inner Richmond on Thursday evening.
Shortly before 4 pm firefighter responded to a report issuing from Clement St. and 5th Ave. after a pipe had started leaking gas in the air.
A perimeter was established as SFFD asked pedestrians to evacuate.
Shortly after the initial report, SFFD announced that all pedestrians had to evacuate and all residents had to shelter in place while emergency services worked to identify the leak and seal it.
During operations, a bus was requested to a nearby street for evacuees as a temporary shelter. Air conditioning was available.
The SFFD reported that PG&E had located and sealed the leak by 7 pm. They waited for the gas levels to reach zero before lifting any orders. Shortly after, the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted with businesses allowed to reopen.
The 200 block of 5th Ave will remain closed while crews work.
Citizen app user JewliWolf wrote, “I was walking by 5th and Clement and the smell was so strong so I called 911. When the firefighters arrived I showed them where it was the strongest…”
Other local citizens echoed these sentiments, saying it smelled like gas for “blocks and blocks” and that it “almost made you sick.”
Further information about the gas leak is currently unavailable. It is unknown what kind of gas was leaking, nor what caused the leak.