Homes were evacuated for several hours in Juniper yesterday, afternoon after a Fortis gas line was hit.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Platoon Captain Wade Lindoff says crews were called just after 11 a.m. to the incident in the 2000-block of Galore Crescent

“No information to suggest who was actually responsible, but the only information in our file here is that it appears the leak has been caused by somebody driving a stake into the ground. I’m not sure what the stake was for, whether it was surveying, whether it was construction, a farm worker, I’m not sure.”

This is the third time a gas line has been hit in Juniper in the past 12 months which has led to evacuations. Gas lines were also hit twice on Qu’Appelle Boulevard last June, both at an active construction site.

“As far as the public goes or construction crews for that matter, it’s very important to call before you dig and locate these lines,” Lindoff says, referencing the BC One Call service. “There’s a number of services underground. Do your homework before you excavate; try and locate these lines.”