Downtown Durham gas-line break prompts roads, county building to close

Jessica Banov
·1 min read

A gas-line break in downtown Durham on Friday prompted the evacuation of a county government building and the cancellation of services, including the county’s COVID-19 and monkeypox clinics.

Several downtown roads were closed throughout the afternoon after workers hit a gas line at a construction site at 500 E. Main St. Friday morning.

The Durham County Human Services Building at 414 E. Main St., which includes the Public Health Department, Social Services and Veteran Services, closed at 12 noon.

“Gas detected in the building was minimal and lower than the threshold typically used for evacuation, but out of an abundance of caution the building was evacuated and closed by (the Durham Fire Department),” the county said in a news release.

By 4 p.m., the Dominion Energy gas line was repaired and inspectors had cleared the building to reopen.

The county said it would not call staff back in and normal hours would resume Monday.