Large gas leak on Germantown campus of @montgomerycoll, forcing some evacuations and road closures. @mcfrs on the scene. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/bQE6kuCof0
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) December 4, 2017
WASHINGTON — Classes at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College will resume at 5 p.m. after a large gas leak prompted several buildings and hundreds of students to be evacuated Monday morning.
In a tweet, the college said access is available to campus buildings but business operations such as registration and financial aid are closed.
Students who left belongings on campus before the evacuation can retrieve them at the campus security office in the Science and Applied Studies Building, the college said.
A 4-inch high-pressure natural gas line burst in front of the college’s science building about 9:45 a.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.
Several buildings on the campus were evacuated, including the child care center. Overall, as many as 1,000 students and staff were evacuated from the campus, Piringer said.
About 65 firefighters, including a HAZMAT team responded to the gas leak, which was under control by about 11 a.m. when the gas company reduced pressure and shut off gas to several campus buildings.
The gas line appears to have been struck by machinery in a construction area, Piringer said.
“Presumably, it was struck by a backhoe, which is typically the case,” he said.
WTOP’s Kristi King and Zeke Hartner contributed to this report.
