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Victoria Fire Department Battalion Chief Shannon Martin said a construction worker hit a two-inch gas line with a backhoe around 2:30 p.m. while working on a new house in the subdivision.
Fifteen homes were evacuated around Sirocco Drive, including several elderly people and children.
A daycare business is operated in one of the homes that was evacuated.
About 10 children and several adults were in that home, Martin added. All the evacuees were taken to a safe distance away from the gas leak.
No one was injured and Martin said the woman who was taken to Citizens Medical Center was most likely suffering from heat exhaustion and the excitement caused by the gas leak.
“During the evacuation, we put most of the elderly people and children into the fire department vehicles where it was air conditioned because it was so hot outside,” he said.
Within 15 minutes of arriving on the scene, Centerpoint Energy had the gas leak contained and everyone was back inside their homes before 4 p.m., Martin said.
He added that the main concern when dealing with a gas leak is an explosion.
“What we do in these situations is mainly precautionary and the biggest danger is an explosion,” he said.
Martin added he did not know the name of the construction company working on the house.
The Victoria Police Department assisted at the scene with traffic control.
Aprill Brandon is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6514 or abrandon@vicad.com.