A gas leak near a major hospital in New Brunswick prompted a major emergency response Thursday afternoon, including the evacuation of a nearby school, fire and city officials say.
A construction crew hit the gas main in the area of Somerset and Little Albany streets, near the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, shortly after 1:30 p.m., fire officials said.
A nearby school, Lincoln School Annex, was evacuated as a precaution as emergency responders flooded the scene.
Somerset Street was shut down to vehicle and pedestrian traffic as authorities investigated, according to the city of New Brunswick Twitter account. Detours were implemented, but drivers should expect traffic delays in the area, the city says.
It's not clear how the crew hit the gas main; a hospital official says there are several renovation projects going on but couldn't immediately provide further details on how the main was hit.
