A GAS leak brought an entire shopping centre to a standstill yesterday as employees and customers were evacuated.
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Bathurst Fire Station received a call at 7.59am to attend to the leak at Bathurst Chase after a strong smell of gas was detected throughout the complex.
The crew isolated the three meters that supply gas to the centre until they could establish the precise location of the leak.
Station commander Guy Dover said a firefighter entered Bathurst Chase in breathing apparatus and used a gas detector to determine whether there was a risk of an explosion.
“Levels weren’t strong enough to activate the detector as an explosive risk,” he said.
Bathurst Chase’s plumbing contractor was requested to attend to help locate and repair the leak.
Mr Dover initially said the cause of the leak could have been a pilot light, but could not confirm this.
It was later revealed that the source of the leak was a Vietnamese restaurant inside the centre, where the lead to one of the cookers was against a wall “at a sharper angle than it needed to be” and, as a result, the plastic had deteriorated.
Bathurst Chase was ventilated throughout the morning and reopened to staff and customers from 10am while the plumbing contractor dealt with the leak.
Coles store support manager Joshua McKinnon commended everyone for their swift and orderly exit of the complex and said staff were remaining relaxed until they were allowed back into the centre.
“Everyone was really chilled. Even the customers evacuated quite smartly and didn’t cause any problems,” he said.