A gas leak just outside the Chumash Casino in the Santa Ynez Valley prompted the closure of Highway 246 from Edison to Cuesta streets. Any traffic in the area was diverted.
Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to the gas leak was reported at about 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Capt. David Sadecki with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said a construction crew hit a gas pipe effectively breaking it.
Michael Gammon, who lives along one of the neighborhoods where cars from Highway 246 were being re-routed to said,"This reminds me of the bay area traffic, there was scores and scores of cars coming here." "We found out from someone when we were walking home they said don’t walk that way because there’s a gas leak at the casino."
Gammon said, "This is the most traffic we’ve ever seen on this road."
Cpt. Michael Read was at the scene he said, "It didn’t completely severe the pipe, it’s probably what I can see maybe a 4 inch hole in the side of the pipe."
The gas company took several hours to shut down the gas leak.