A large emergency response occurred on the morning of May 1 in the area of Southeast 35th Place and East Mercer Way due to a four-inch natural gas feeder line being punctured by a backhoe during a construction project.

“Puget Sound Energy (PSE) was able to stop the leak and secure the site,” the city said in a social media post at 11 a.m. “There were no injuries and 12 homes that were temporarily evacuated have been deemed safe and residents are returning.”

The city noted that PSE crews will remain at the site into the evening while working to mend the line.

In the early stages of the response at about 9:30 a.m. on May 1 (according to a Washington State Department of Transporation post), first-responder vehicles and trucks blocked the westbound Interstate 90 off-ramp to East Mercer Way.