UNION, NJ – A car struck a building on North Avenue on Sunday morning, causing a natural gas leak and the evacuation of the building.
Union Fire Chief Greg Ricciardi said firefighters were called to the intersection of North Avenue at Vivian Terrace at just before 7 a.m. for a single vehicle accident. The driver had been ejected from the vehicle at impact. Ricciardi said when firefighters arrived, the driver was lying on the ground, where firefighters worked to assess the driver, and he was transported to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. His identity and updated condition has not been released.
The vehicle struck a two-story building with commercial space on the first floor, severing the gas lines going to a bank of gas meters, Ricciardi said. Firefighters checked the building and found both the commercial and residential sides of the building filled with gas. The entire building was evacuated, and the Emergency Medical Unit was brought to the scene to shelter the occupants during the incident. Crews then began to ventilate the building and contain a fluid spill. There appeared to be no structural damage to the building, according to Ricciardi. Occupants were able to return to the apartments after being cleared by the gas company.