The sound of what some felt mirrored a jet engine broke through the normally quiet area near the Preserve subdivision in Dripping Springs after an 8-inch gas main was ruptured Friday.
Scott Collard, North Hays County Fire Rescue chief, said no one was injured in the accident, which shut down U.S. Highway 290 in Dripping Springs for several hours. The event also triggered the evacuation of several residents who live in the Hays Country Acres subdivision, as well as several area businesses, including the Dripping Springs animal hospital.
Collard said the gas leak was caused by a contractor that was working in the future Blue Blazes commercial development in the 1600 block of U.S. 290. A track hoe was doing excavation work and punched through the line, which had a pressure of 250 pounds per square inch (psi).
