The Pizza Hut restaurant in North Battleford had to be evacuated Thursday as emergency crews dealt with a natural gas leak at the restaurant.
The incident happened shortly after 11 a.m. at the restaurant, located in the strip mall at 11204 Railway Avenue. The situation could have turned out worse than it did, but quick work by employees and the fire department were credited with stopping the gas leak and getting the situation under control quickly.
According to North Battleford Fire and Emergency Services, employees rearranging the kitchen area noticed the gas leak at the rear of their natural gas-fired ovens.
Employees shut down the interior gas shutoffs for the ovens prior to the arrival of the fire department. According to the fire department, the odor of natural gas was detectable from outside the structure upon their arrival.
Upon orders of the fire department, the building was evacuated. Prior to entering the building, they shut down the main gas supply for Pizza Hut and for the entire strip mall.
Upon entry, gas detection was performed with a multi-gas detector. Readings taken inside indicated normal levels of oxygen and no detectable gas. The fire department credits the fast shutdown of gas supply to the building and a commercial kitchen exhaust system for dispersing the natural gas.
Three apparatus and five fire personnel were on the scene for over a half-hour. Also on the scene was WPD Ambulance, the RCMP and SaskEnergy.
