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Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Worker suffers burns when gas line fire erupts at Ocala construction site

A worker was burned Friday when a natural gas-driven fire broke out at an Ocala construction site.

A worker was injured when a fire erupted from a punctured gas line at an Ocala construction site early Friday afternoon.

Multiple units from Ocala Fire Rescue responded to reports of a gas line explosion shortly after noon at the site near the intersection of NE 25th Street and NE 36th Avenue. Engine 5 arrived within three minutes to find an active gas line fire with a tall flame burning behind a construction vehicle, a report says.

Crews from Engines 5 and 2 controlled the fire until the gas line was secured, while paramedics from Rescue 1 and a Marion County Fire Rescue unit assessed the driver’s burns. Marion County Fire Rescue’s Critical Care unit also responded to transport the injured worker to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

It was later determined that the fire started after a gas line was inadvertently punctured during routine construction operations. Officers from the Ocala Police Department and representatives from TECO Peoples Gas company also responded to the incident.