SAN DIEGO - A natural gas leak forced a temporary closure of an East County freeway off-ramp and tied up traffic in the area Wednesday morning.
The hazardous fumes began spewing into the air in the 7700 block of North Avenue in Lemon Grove at about 9:30 a.m., when a construction worker accidentally ruptured a buried utility line, said Sonny Saghera, a spokesman for Heartland Fire & Rescue.
Due to the problem, the California Highway Patrol shut down the nearby connector from eastbound state Route 94 to Lemon Grove Avenue, and the Metropolitan Transit System suspended trolley service between Spring Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
San Diego Gas & Electric personnel had the leak halted shortly before noon, Saghera said.
No injuries were reported.
