Crime & Safety
Totem Lake Businesses Evacuated Tuesday Due to Gas Leak
Totem Lake Boulevard was also closed as PSE worked to shut off the leak on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The road and businesses are reopened at this time.
Kirlkand Police and Fire Crews this morning evacuated several Totem Lake businesses due to a severed natural gas line.
Kirkland Fire Battalion Chief Larry Peabody said the leak was caused by a construction crew accidentally severing a natural gas line in the vicinity of the 12600 block of Totem Lake Blvd., resulting in reports of a gas odor around 10:50 a.m. this morning.
Crews worked with Puget Sound Energy to evacuate several businesses, including Verizon and Radio Shack, while PSE worked to shut off gas to the broken line.
PSE is currently working on a permanent fix and there were no injuries, Peabody said.
According to the city, the initial investigation revealed that a two-inch gas line was severed by a contractor working on a City culvert project. During the incident, both directions of Totem Lake Boulevard were closed. By 12:15 p.m. the road was open and people were allowed to returned to the businesses.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.