Natural gas leak forces Merced business evacuation

A natural gas leak Tuesday afternoon on Heron Way in Merced forced the evacuation of one business, the Fire Department reported.

The 1-inch line leak was reported just after 3:30 p.m. near Ace Air Conditioning, 133 Heron Way, fire engineer Jim Evans said.

“We’re asking other businesses in the area to take shelter inside while it gets repaired,” Evans said.

No injuries were reported.

The leak was apparently caused by a construction crew working in the area, Evans said, but the exact cause of the rupture was not clear.

A PG&E crew arrived about 4 p.m. It was expected to take about one hour to repair the line, firefighters said.

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Natural gas leak forces Merced business evacuation."