Traffic is being diverted and homes evacuated this morning due to a gas leak at the First Universalist Church of Southold, where demolition is ongoing.
“The construction equipment clearing the Universalist Church debris struck a live gas feed from the road to a service on the site,” Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said. “The road was closed and two to three affected surrounding houses were evacuated. National Grid just arrived on the scene and we anticipate being able to clear this in about five to 10 minutes,” he said at approximately 11:30 a.m.
According to Southold Fire Department personnel on the scene, there was a gas leak reported at the site. Southold Town police said the gas was supposed to have been shut off for the demolition.
Traffic is being redirected in both directions off Main Road in Southold.
Yesterday, despite the fact that a farewell service was held earlier this month for the First Universalist Church of Southold, a few parishioners filed up slowly to the rubble today, tears in their eyes, as what remained of the beloved structure was swept away forever.
The church, long woven into the fabric of Southold’s rich history, was ravaged by fire in March. Members of the parish have come together in mourning, vowing to rise again and also stating that the true meaning of their congregation lives not in the iconic structure that graced the Southold bend for decades, but in one another.
Krazy Klean Demolition, a Merrick-based company, has been onsite to remove the rubble.
Crew members said they were able to salvage a file cabinet and some photo albums from the wreckage.
