Gas meter damaged by tractor in Schaumburg

A tractor clearing snow in front of a Schaumburg building struck a gas line Monday afternoon, forcing employees in the industrial park to evacuate, officials said.

The Schaumburg Fire Department shut down the 700 block of Albion Avenue between Mitchell and Wright boulevards at about 3:55 p.m. Monday after a gas meter was torn off the wall of a building on that block, said Schaumburg Batallion Chief Rick Anderson.

The high pressure 2-inch in diameter pipe was blowing natural gas out into the street, which forced firefighters to evacuate the employees of a nearby building, Anderson said.

“The smell was very strong,” he said. “We were concerned of a possible ignition from an outside source.”

The leak occurred in an industrial park about one block north of Schaumburg Regional Airport.

Nicor crews were still on the scene as of 8:45 p.m. attempting to restore service to the main.

Anderson said the tractor was a private contractor clearing snow for a business on the block.