Latest | Highway 395 reopens 19 hours after gas line rupture forces evacuation

Highway 395 was back open and residents were returning home near Hermiston on Wednesday morning after a large gas line break was repaired.

The evacuations were lifted about 19 hours after construction crews broke the 4-inch line in a swampy area near the highway and Margaret Road, according to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office.

One of the northbound lanes of Highway 395 will remain closed while Cascade Natural Gas continues working in the area.

Crews called to report the broken line just before 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office said. The escaping gas forced people to flee businesses and homes near the highway, Margaret Road, Lind Road and Power City Road.

It also required the Oregon Department of Transportation to close Highway 395 near the intersection of Highway 730, east of Umatilla and north of Hermiston.

Fixing the break was a delicate operation, according to the sheriff’s office.

“It was a large line and in order to repair the break, pressure in the gas lines needed to be adjusted carefully, so as not to over-pressure other lines,” the sheriff’s office said.

In addition to the size of the pipe, the surrounding area is somewhat swampy, so crews needed to take extra precautions to make sure water didn’t get into the gas line.

In all, 16 homes were without power and had to be evacuated as of 8 p.m. No one was hurt.

After working through the night, Cascade Natural Gas reported around 7 a.m. that they had finished repairing the pipeline and pressure testing, and people could return home.