Gas service being restored to 1,400 Paynesville homes after gas main cut Tuesday afternoon

PAYNESVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Natural gas service is being restored to homes and businesses in Paynesville, Minnesota Wednesday morning after it was interrupted Tuesday afternoon when a gas main was accidentally cut.

‘We were very fortunate that all it was was an inconvenience’

Paynesville Mayor Jeff Thompson giving an update on the gas being shut off after a gas line was cut late Tuesday

According to Stearns County, a third-party contractor hit and cut a six-inch underground steel natural gas main while doing excavation work on Tuesday.

CenterPoint Energy sent crews and technicians to the scene to assess and repair the damage. Some residents were evacuated as a precaution, but they have since been allowed to return to their homes.

To carry out the repairs, however, they had to shut off gas service to approximately 1,400 residences and businesses, according to a CenterPoint Energy spokesperson.

CenterPoint said crews repaired the gas main and technicians have started restoring gas service to affected customers. There is no word yet on when gas service will be fully restored.