A gas line leak forced the closure of part of Moores Mill Road in Bel Air for approximately three hours Friday afternoon, police and fire officials said.
Students and staff at Southampton Middle School, which is in the affected area, were requested to shelter in place until the leak was detected and fixed, which occurred without incident, according to the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association.
Reported in the early afternoon, the leak was in a 4-inch line and the road was closed between Broadway and Route 22, the Fire & EMS Association reported on its media Facebook page.
At no time was there a threat to the area, according to the association.
The Maryland State Highway Administration has announced several road paving projects that are starting in Harford County. In addition, Harford County government has announced a two-month closure of Joppa Farm Road in Joppa for utility installation work.
Parents were advised by social media where to stand by if they planned up to pick up their children when classes were dismissed. The Harford County Sheriff's Office handled the logistics of closing the road and staging for school buses and other vehicles coming to the school, according to various posts.
Harford County Public Schools reported that it began a staggered dismissal of Southampton students at 2:45 p.m. No incidents were reported.
At 3:23 p.m., BGE had mitigated the leak, fire vehicles were leaving and the Sheriff's Office was preparing to reopen the road, Fire & EMS spokespersons Rich Gardiner and Jenn Chenworth reported on Facebook.
