WINTERVILLE� Pitt Community College officials evacuated the school�s William Fulford Building Wednesday morning after a road construction crew ruptured a natural gas line near the southeast corner of campus. According to PCC Police Chief Alan Edwards, a backhoe working on widening Fire Tower Road created the leak when it hit a Greenville Utilities Commission natural gas line near the northeast corner of where Fire Tower and Memorial Drive intersect. At the Winterville Fire Department�s request, Edwards said PCC Police and maintenance personnel evacuated Fulford due to its proximity to the leak and the potential for harmful gas fumes. The chief said Fulford and a parking lot on the building�s east side were sealed off at approximately 9:40 a.m. Both remained closed for 45 minutes, he said, adding that e-mail alerts concerning the leak were issued throughout campus and telephone calls were made to key college personnel. Edwards said directing traffic around the area where the leak occurred was the main issue his department and college maintenance personnel faced. Because Memorial Drive was closed off from Tice Road to the Sam�s Club shopping center, motorists utilized the PCC campus to get around the scene. In addition to the PCC Police Department, the Winterville and Greenville police departments, Greenville Fire Department and North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to this morning�s incident. Edwards said the Winterville Fire Department was the agency in charge at the scene.
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