Fifth St. residents evacuated after gas leak

A gas leak in North Philadelphia late Thursday afternoon led to the evacuation of 21 residents on Fifth Street near Clearfield.

A sinkhole about 12 feet wide was reported shortly after 5 p.m. in the 3000 block of North Fifth Street, and responding firefighters smelled the strong odor of natural gas, Deputy Fire Chief Michael Wahl said.

Philadelphia Gas Works investigators tested the air and determined that residents on the west side of the street needed to be evacuated, Wahl said.

"They ventilated all these dwellings, opened all the windows up and shut off the utilities so there's no ignition source," Wahl said.

He said there was little chance outdoors of the gas reaching high enough levels to be explosive, but a gas build-up inside an unventilated space can cause asphyxiation.

No injuries were reported.

The residents were taken to nearby Potter Elementary School while crews worked to close a 6-inch gas main under the street. The work was expected to take several hours.

Fifth Street from Allegheny to Lehigh Avenues was closed to traffic.

The Southeast Pennsylvania branch of the American Red Cross said it was preparing to provide lodging for two families, totaling 14 people.