SANTA CLARA — Crews worked for over an hour to stop a natural gas leak in a Santa Clara neighborhood Thursday evening.

Dominion Energy crews along with responders from the Santa Clara-Ivins fire and police departments were called to the scene of the leak on the corner of Bella Sol Drive and Monte Vista Drive. 

The leak was reported by a neighborhood resident around 5:45 p.m. after they heard it hissing across the street. 

Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Chief Randy Hancey said the leak was caused by a contractor who was building a house in the area. 

“A contractor was digging some main lines for a new home under construction and hit a 2-inch main gas line,” he said. 

Hancey said the leak occurred as a result of the contractor failing to mark the locations of the underground utility lines in the area before digging. They told responders that they had only planned to dig 10 inches. 

“They should still have a mark any time you want to dig. That’s required that you call 811 to get the utilities marked,” Hancey said. 

The workers immediately contacted their supervisor, and the leak was reported to Dominion Energy, who arrived with heavy equipment to crimp the line on both sides of the leak. 

The block was closed for over an hour as crews worked to stop the leak. 

“Right now, we’re not under too much danger because there’s not a home on either side of this particular break,” Hancey said. “But the gas could settle, you could get a spark which could ignite it, and then it could start the line on fire. But we respond as a precautionary measure.” 

Contractors and private landowners both are required to call 811 to have utility lines marked before digging. For more information on 811 services, click here. 

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