SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – At around 9:16 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) received a call of a 3/4-inch steel gas line that broke underneath a piece of construction equipment on San Francisco and Pasadena Avenues. 

At 9:20 a.m., SLTFR Engine 2 was first on scene, followed by Southwest Gas and together, they addressed the breakage caused by a machine that grinds up asphalt. 

“The machine was cutting the asphalt away, and it ran over the gas line and broke it,” said Holt Cawelti, acting Captain at Fire Station 2. “We secured the area, we wet down the area with our hoseline and once the gas company arrived, we assisted them as a back-up team.”

Cawelti said a jackhammer was used to break away asphalt in order to access the line. 

No injuries were reported, and crews were able to shut off the gas supply and mitigate the breakage within the hour.