Scrap Thieves Blamed for Connecticut Gas Leak

Waterbury fire officials say a gas leak that forced the evacuation of an apartment building was caused by scrap metal thieves who accidentally cut through a live gas line.

The Republican-American of Waterbury reports the pipe was cut inside a vacant factory where the leak was reported midday Tuesday.

Fire Chief David Martin said the nearby apartments were evacuated as a precaution, but the gas vented out through the old factory’s open skylights and nobody was injured.

The building has been vacant for close to a decade. It has been a target for thieves who have stripped out metal including manhole covers to sell it as scrap.

Police were trying to determine who was responsible for cutting through the pipe and causing the leak.