Originally published by 14News
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – People living along Bayard Park Drive were evacuated on Thursday night.
Residents in the area told 14 News the evacuation was result of a nearby gas leak. Officials say this happened around 7 p.m.
Crews with the Evansville Fire Department and Vectren responded to the incident.
The scene has since been cleared and people have returned to their homes.
According to the Evansville Police Department, a Vectren official told officers a vent on their mechanism was unscrewed and looked like it might have been tampered with.
EPD officials say they have opened a criminal investigation.
Crews capped the leak within an hour and Vectren officials say it’s no longer considered a risk to the public.
“It’s a pretty serious situation when you have gas leaking out into the air,” said Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Larson. “As I’ve said, it’s looking for an ignition source and that’s where you can have an explosion very quickly.”
Larson tells us the common indicators of a gas leak are the smell of rotten eggs and a hissing sound from air escaping. The exact cause of the leak is under investigation.
We will update this story once more information is available.
