(Spirit Lake)– A broken natural gas line resulted in an evacuation of the Dickinson county courthouse and roughly a one block area surrounding it this (Wednesday) afternoon.
The Dickinson County Communications Center and jail were also evacuated. Inmates were temporarily relocated to a security garage at the Spirit Lake Police Department. Streets surrounding the courthouse were also closed to traffic for awhile as a precaution.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief David Kollasch says a demolition contractor was doing some excavating on the site of the former courthouse when he struck a gas line he thought was dead. Firefighters stood by while the gas company capped the line without incident.
In addition to the courthouse, several other county buildings, including those housing the County Planning and Zoning and Engineer’s offices and the County Attorney were also evacuated, along with several nearby businesses. Workers were allowed back into the buildings after about an hour.
The incident took place around 2:20 p.m.
