34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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Sinister act in city gas leak
 Attleboro firefighters work near a large propane tank at 880 County St., on Monday evening. Fire officials say the leak appears to have been caused by a cut line. (Staff photo by MARTIN GAVIN)
Top Headlines The leak, which was reported about 6:18 p.m., forced police and fire officials to close a section of County Street to traffic and evacuate three nearby homes for about an hour. All of the homes were occupied at the time, but it is unknown how many people were forced out. Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Livesey said the leak appears to have been intentionally caused, as a gas line inside the duplex at 880 County St. was found to be cut. "An investigation determined the house was forceably entered and the gas leak was of suspicious nature," Livesey said. "There were improprieties with plumbing inside. All indications are it appears (the line) was maliciously cut." The house was unlocked, but according to the owner, who was identified by fire officials as a John Correia and lives across the street, he had left the home locked. The potentially explosive incident was discovered when a BayState Gas Co. employee who was working in the area smelled a gas odor that didn't appear to be natural gas. That employee discovered propane tanks outside the house appeared to be leaking and called the fire department. "What they found was there was propane inside the house," Livesey said of first arriving firefighters, who used gas meters. "Fortunately the house was unoccupied and no one has been living there." "The house is kind of isolated," Livesey said. The closest home was about 50 yards away. The home's basement was ventilated with a fan to bring down gas levels, and the outside tanks were disconnected, Livesey said. Each side of the duplex had a 75- and a 150-gallon tank. It was unclear which were involved in the leak. MassElectric was notified and shut off electric service to the house. "A light on in the basement was a potential ignition source," Livesey said. The home is not far from the entrance road being built for the new industrial park. County Street was opened up about 7:15 p.m. Police detectives were called to the scene and are investigating. The city's building department was also notified.
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