Police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) personnel responded to a gas leak in downtown Bethesda after a 2-inch gas line was struck on Montgomery Avenue Tuesday morning, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.
Around 1:30 p.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, located nearby at 4301 East-West Highway, said in a message to families that emergency vehicles had cleared the area and the flow of traffic on East-West Highway had returned to normal.
Piringer and county police did not provide an update on social media Tuesday afternoon about whether the gas leak had been resolved. As of 4:30 p.m. one lane of traffic was open on Montgomery Avenue.
As the gas leak was being repaired, county police closed the 4200 block of Montgomery Avenue, where the leak originated, as well as nearby streets, according to a post on social media. Police advised drivers around 11:30 a.m. to seek an alternate route and expect significant traffic delays.
According to Piringer, the buildings near the leak were being metered and may need to be evacuated if deemed necessary.
Shortly after the gas leak was reported, B-CC High sent an 11:47 a.m. message to families that said the school would continue operating as normal. Although there are a number of gas department and fire vehicles in the area, the message said, authorities “confirmed that there is no danger to the school.”
