Barrington officials say contractor accidentally caused downtown gas leak

A contractor caused the natural gas leak Friday at a downtown Barrington construction site that forced the evacuation of village hall and spewed flammable gas into the air for about five hours, village officials said Tuesday.

Village Manager Jeff Lawler said the contractor accidentally gouged a hole in a marked 6-inch-wide pipe about 11 a.m. Friday at The Barrington Village Center site, near the intersection of Hough and Main streets.

Soon after the leak, village staff members reported feeling nauseous from the gas fumes and the building was evacuated, Lawler said.

Barrington firefighters found that gas had made its way across the street and into the building's ventilation system.

"You could smell (the gas) in a several block area around that, depending on the direction the wind was blowing at the moment," Lawler said.

Village hall was shut down for several hours. The staff didn't re-enter the building until it had been aired out by large ventilation fans. The gas line was finally capped at 4:30 p.m., more than five hours after the leak began, Lawler said.

Village officials have since met with representatives from the contractor and told them to be more cautious in future.

"This was something that can't be repeated," Lawler said.

The contractors were readying the site for two new, one-story retail buildings and 132 public parking spaces. The buildings will total 25,000 square feet of restaurant and shopping space.

Lawler said crews have completed installing utilities for the new buildings and in the coming weeks onlookers will be able to see the new parking lot begin to take shape.