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Regional | Fire

Bus causes gas leak incident in Whangarei

A bus has reversed over a gas main at a Z service station in Kamo just north of Whangarei.  A 600m exclusion zone was created.

According to a bystander, “The fire brigade was going up and down the street, evacuating people from Wilkinson Ave.

I asked what happened and they said a vehicle had backed into the gas tanker and there was a big gas leak.”

Hundreds had to evacuate their homes and nearby schools because of the risk of explosion.

Police and the fire service weren't able to make comment on camera to Te Kāea, but had managed the situation and removed the cordoned off areas by about 10am.

Some residents were surprised as to why the suburb was closed for most of the morning.

“I was a bit anxious about my pets because I have quite a big dog and she wasn't very used to people.”

The driver of the bus wasn't able to speak to Te Kāea regarding the incident, but Vector Energy is confident the leak that could have led to a major disaster has now been stemmed.