Lowe's on Berkeley evacuated due to gas leak
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on July 11, 2017 5:16 PM
Full Size
The Goldsboro Fire Department responded to a gas leak at Lowe's just after 3 p.m. today. No injuries were reported and the store was able to reopen within a couple of hours.
Update ---- 5:45 p.m.
Lowes Home Improvement is back open after a gas leak led to a store-wide evacuation earlier this afternoon.
Goldsboro Fire Department Captain T.J. Underwood said the call came in around 3 p.m., after which the store evacuated everyone and closed the doors.
Underwood said the leak originated from an HV/AC unit on the roof, and a single mechanic happened to be in the area to attend to it.
"He just happened to be coming this way and was able to help out," Underwood said. "That was very fortunate for us."
No one was injured during the evacuation or as a result of the gas, Underwood said.
"The reason we're keeping people out is that, if we bring them back in and then we find another problem, we have to get them all back out again," he said. "If someone gets hurt then, that's a mistake I made."
Employees stood by the doors, telling prospective customers that the store was closed for the time being. They declined to comment on the situation, citing company policy.
Company spokesperson Karen Cobb, who is based out of the home improvement store's corporate office in Morrisville, North Carolina, said employees noticed a pungent odor at about 3:10 p.m.
"As a result, our safety evacuation plan was activated," she said.
All of the employees and customers were evacuated from the building safely and without injury, she added.
"We have a very robust safety program," she said. "The evacuation happened very quickly."
Others sat in the shade at the far end of the parking lot. With the sun bearing down, employees from IHOP and Chic-Fil-A brought out water to help them stay cool.
Laverne Brown, with Chic-Fil-A, said the store had send over more than 50 cups of water.
The all-clear came just after 5 p.m., signaling that the problem had been solved.