By Liz Ladzinski and Adam Nichols
DNAinfo Staff
BATTERY PARK CITY — Roughly 75 people were forced from their homes and office Friday morning by a gas leak.
A contractor doing construction work hit and ruptured the 12-inch main at 20 and 10 River Terrace at 10:20 a.m., a Con Edison spokesman said
The utility had to cut service to three customers and evacuated the first 10 floors of both buildings.
The FDNY was also called in.
There were no injuries reported, but residents of the mixed-use building were outside for about an hour, a witness said. Con Ed did not say how long the buildings were evacuated.
Lee Briccetti, executive director of Poets House which is in 10 River Terrace, said the smell of gas was strong outside the building.
A class of 40 visitors from P.S. 2 had to be evacuated and were picked up by their school bus.
"We got everyone out very easily," said Briccetti.
"Everything was handled beautifully."
"I wasn't worried about it until I smelled the gas," said Liz Cho, 39, who lives in one of the buildings.
