(Update at 12:10 p.m.) MCFRS says a gas leak that shut down Wisconsin Avenue on Tuesday led to one worker being transported to a hospital. The leak is now under control and the scene is being cleared.
According to MCFRS Battalion Chief Jim Resnick, first responders found an unconscious construction worker in an excavation hole when they arrived on scene just before 11 a.m.
Resnick said he was in serious but stable condition. The 1.5-inch gas line was accidentally struck near Wisconsin Avenue and Miller Avenue, in the heart of downtown Bethesda.
A firefighter on scene was also being evaluated for injuries, according to MCFRS spokesperson Beth Anne Nesselt.
Police and MCFRS units did evacuations of a few buildings in the area and closed Wisconsin Avenue to traffic. The buildings evacuated were at 4700 Miller Ave., the 7100 block of Wisconsin Avenue and the Crescent Plaza apartment at 7111 Woodmont Ave., according to Nesselt.
Resnick said those buildings would likely be reoccupied by 1 p.m., after fire officials determined conditions were safe.
At noon, MCFRS began to scale back their presence at the scene and began to reopen Wisconsin Avenue.
There were about 30 firefighters on scene at the height of the incident, Nesselt said. The gas leak was controlled at about 11:48 p.m.
Southbound Wisconsin Avenue traffic was diverted at Bethesda Avenue for nearly an hour. Northbound Wisconsin Avenue traffic was diverted at Leland Street. The normally bustling stretch of Bethesda Avenue just west of Wisconsin Avenue was shut down.
