Natural gas line rupture outside Kelowna General

KELOWNA – A Fortis B.C. crew is working repair a natural gas line break at Pandosy Street and Royal Avenue right in front of Emergency Room at Kelowna General Hospital.

The gas line was snapped by the operator of a backhoe at about 11:13 a.m. on Monday. That's where a construction crew is working on a new parking lot.

Michael Allison with Fortis B.C. says natural gas was “blowing clear” which means it was venting safely. No one has been hurt.

He says the work to repair the 60-millimetre steel main is underway.

Meanwhile, it’s business as usual at the hospital.

“KGH is fully operational and has not been evacuated,” Interior Health’s Grace Kucey says in a media release. “Tests show air in the hospital is safe and testing is ongoing.”

Pandosy is closed from Cadder to Rose Avenues and traffic is being detoured.

The RCMP say the road will likely be closed until about 4 p.m.

The main entrance to the Emergency Room was closed for a for a few hours but has since reopened.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

– This story was updated at 12:47 p.m., Monday, July 7, 2014 to add more information from the Interior Health Authority and the RCMP.

– This story was updated at 1:40 p.m., Monday, July 7, 2014 to say the main entrance to the ER had reopened.