Gas leak shuts down Barrie's Mulcaster Street

A gas leak in Barrie's downtown shut down Mulcaster Street at Dunlop St. West, Weds. Nov. 16, 2022 (PHOTO: STEVEN BERGERON)

A gas leak shut down a large section of Barrie's downtown Wednesday.
Barrie Fire and Emergency Service received a call shortly after 2 p.m. regarding a possible gas line breach on Mulcaster Street.
"Responding crews found that a contractor had accidentally cut a high-pressure line causing gas to escape into the environment," said Deputy Fire Chief Carrie Clark.
More than 65 properties along Mulcaster and Dunlop St. East were affected by the gas outage.
Restaurants that cooked with gas were closed for most of the day.
Enbridge and Alectra were notified while crews cordoned off Mulcaster Street between Collier and Dunlop streets.
The McLaren Art Centre was evacuated and power was shut down, Clark said.
It wasn't until nearly 7 p.m. that Enbridge isolated the damaged line. It was repaired by 11 p.m.
Enbridge notified the affected customers at that time and will be following up today to ensure all gas appliances are re-lit appropriately, said Clark.