An apartment building was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a car ripped open two outdoor gas mains.
A woman drove an off-white Volvo over a curb behind the Bank of America on West University Avenue, hit two gas meters and crashed into an air-conditioning unit at the adjacent College Manor Apartments, said Gainesville Police Officer T.J. Loveall.
"If it had sparked when she hit the air-conditioning unit, it would have made a stream of fire," Loveall said.
A GPD car, three Gainesville Fire Rescue engines and a crew from Gainesville Regional Utilities responded to the gas leak.
Residents of College Manor, who had been evacuated, watched from the sidewalk as officials checked for leaks inside their building.
The GRU crew arrived about a half hour after the accident to turn off the gas line and repair the meters.
Thor Wishart, a GRU utility field services manager, said the work would be done within two hours.
Although outdoor gas leaks dissipate into the air, Wishart said, it was important that officials stopped the source of the leak, cleared out the building and ventilated the area.
"Just to make sure life is protected," he said.
The driver, whose young son was in the car, declined to give her name or explain what had happened.
She was given a traffic citation but was not criminally charged, Loveall said.
