The YMCA was safely evacuated Tuesday morning following a gas leak at the South Avenue building, fire officials say.
At about 10:10 a.m., the New Canaan Fire Department responded to a report of a severed gas main into the building, according to Fire Chief Albe Bassett.
“The gas main was damaged by a contractor performing utility work on the outside of the building,” Bassett said in a press release. “The contractor immediately notified the YMCA staff and pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building when the incident occurred. All of the children in the day care, YMCA patrons, and staff were safely evacuated to the parking lot.”
NCFD used gas detection to ensure that there were no unsafe areas of accumulated gas in the building and the neighborhood surrounding the YMCA property, he said.
Eversource turned off the gas 45 minutes after the break, the press release said. Patrons and staff were allowed inside to retrieve personal items and the Y closed for the rest of the day.
“Remember not to ignore a fire alarm,” he said. “The timely evacuation allowed everyone to be placed in a safe area minutes after the incident happened.”
The YMCA posted the following bulletin on its website: “The issue with our gas has been resolved and the Fire Department and Eversource have confirmed that we can reopen the facility. The Y will reopen at 3:00 PM today. While we will be reopening the facility, please note that work is being completed to resume heat and hot water. Pool temperatures may be cooler than usual and hot water for showers may be temporarily unavailable. Both heat and hot water are expected to resume shortly. All youth programs and group exercise classes will run as scheduled beginning at 4:00 PM. Rainbow Station and Kids Unlimited will remain closed for the day. Thank you again for your flexibility and understanding.”