2 Homes, 20 Apartment Units Subject to Brief Evacuation Amid Natural Gas Leak

A lunchtime natural-gas leak in the area of Orchard Avenue and Colina Drive in La Mesa led to an hourlong evacuation of two home and some apartments Friday.

“The cause of the break was from a landscaping crew that was hired by the property manager who was digging in the area of a planter box by the residence,” said Sonny Saghera of the Heartland Fire and Rescue department. 

“They struck a 1¼-inch high pressure gas line that supplied gas to some of the residences on the street.”

Saghera said two houses were evacuated as well as an apartment complex containing about 20 units.

The evacuation began about 12:20 p.m., according to a Nixle alert posted online.

“There were no complaints of anybody ill,” Saghera said, “and nobody was transported to the hospital.”

The Orchard Gardens Apartments is the complex closest to that intersection—east of Spring Street and north of University Avenue near downtown La Mesa.

At 1:20 p.m., Nixle said a repair crew from San Diego Gas & Electric Co. had fixed the leak and residents were clear to return home.