Duplin Correctional Facility evacuated because of gas leak
By Catharin Shepard
Published in News on June 9, 2010 1:46 PM
A gas leak at the Duplin Correctional Facility outside of Kenansville caused a temporary evacuation Monday.
An administration building located outside of the jail's fence was evacuated for about two hours while maintenance workers shut off the gas and investigated the problem, facility superintendent Danny Cavanaugh said. There were no injuries reported.
Kenansville Fire Department responded to the scene and county emergency services assisted with the call, EMS director Brian Pearce said.
The department contacted the state Hazmat team for backup but maintenance workers were able to shut off the gas, find the leak and repair it. The leak was corrected and the facility's operations were back to normal by Tuesday afternoon, Cavanaugh said.
The minimum security facility outside of Kenansville houses about 320 male inmates. None of the inmates had to exit the facility to evacuate.