Car crashes into home in Cary, causing gas leak

A car crashed into a townhome Monday evening in Cary, causing natural gas to leak for more than three hours, officials reported.

The Cary Fire Protection District responded to a call at 4:55 p.m. Monday in the 1200 block of West Lake Drive for a reported vehicle crash into a house with entrapment. First responders arrived within four minutes to find a sedan that “had left the roadway and collided with the side of a home, shearing off the natural gas meter servicing the residence,” public information officer Alex Vucha said in a news release.

The car came to a rest “directly on the top of the sheared-off gas meter, further complicating the situation,” Vucha said in the release. Firefighters removed the male driver from the car within minutes, and he was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Vucha said.

Nicor Gas was requested at the scene to assess and mitigate the active gas leak. As a precaution, firefighters evacuated the townhome building, consisting of four residential units, while crews connected to a nearby hydrant and placed a hose line to the building, Vucha said in the release.

Nicor called for a digging crew to find and secure the underground gas line. The gas service was successfully shut off at 8:15 p.m., Vucha said. The townhome was ventilated, and the car was removed from the scene.

The building sustained minor structural damage, Vucha said. The local building department and the Cary Public Works Department were called to evaluate the building.

“We appreciate the cooperation of local residents who were temporarily unable to access their homes due to the incident,” Vucha said in the release.