A tree service company trying to remove a stump from the campus of the Colorado School of Mines hit a natural gas line about 10 a.m. today, taking out 3 feet of the line and causing evacuations, according to Golden Fire spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley.
She said the 1.5-inch gas line was marked in preparation for the tree removal.
Tilley said that approximately 50 employees from the United States Geological Survey building were evacuated after employees reported smelling gas..
Students are on fall break.
Tilley said Golden Fire and Xcel Energy crews responded to the scene. The Xcel crews have clamped off the line and are in the process of repairing it, she said.
The break occurred near 17th and Illinois streets in the heart of the campus, near the USGS building and Alderson Hall, a Mines classroom building, said Karen Gilbert, spokeswoman for the college.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
