Downtown Austin Gas Line Rupture Spurs Evacuation

AUSTIN, TX — Firefighters responded to a gas line leak in downtown Austin on Wednesday morning, quickly clamping it to avoid further spread.

The incident occurred at a construction site along the 4517 Triangle Ave. at around 9 am. The line was ruptured after somebody inadvertently struck the two-inch gas line to create the leak, fire officials said. The dangerous gas emission prompted evacuation of people occupying an adjacent building, but they were allowed back inside after the quick clamp fix, according to fire officials.

The rupture occurred in a part of the city known as The Triangle — something of a ground zero of gentrification as developers rush to build luxury housing for an influx of new residents lured to the strong economy. The 22-acre urban complex north of the UT-Austin campus is located is located where Guadalupe Street and Lamar Blvd intersect, just north of 45th street. An abundance of apartments, townhomes, and lofts dot the landscape here, an adjacent park and jogging trail adding to the area's appeal.

Convenient to the campus area and nearby Hyde Park, the locale yields proximity to a number of popular social spots, including Mandola’s Italian Market, Austin’s Galaxy Cafe and a Flying Saucer beer pub.

The circumstances present that caused the gas line to be inadvertently ruptured were not detailed. But the likelihood of work site mishaps tends to exponentially increase in cities experiencing brisk growth as is occurring in Austin.

One need only count the number of cranes downtown in construction of various high-rise office and luxury apartments to get a sense of the stunning growth in the capital city that's already several years in the making, without an end to the expansion in sight. Developers have long been capitalizing on the hot market as hundreds of new residents moving into town each day, busy building new apartments for a largely affluent population moving in after being lured by the burgeoning tech industry here.

Forbes magazine has previously categorized Austin as the nation's fastest-growing city, citing a 6.1 percent growth rate between the years 2011-16 — with nary a sign that impressive expansion is letting up anytime soon. In the meantime — in the profit-driven rush to accommodate the incoming throngs — accidents at construction site will happen.

The incident comes just a day after a worker fell 20 feet at a North Austin construction site at similar The Domain complex, another mixed-use complex experiencing brisk growth. The coveted business/residential/office locale is continually expanding as developers attempt to meet tenant demand. The worker there was injured after falling some 20 feet from the top of a building being constructed there after its roof partially collapsed.

Related story: Roof Collapse Reported At The Domain In North Austin

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