About 150 Fortis customers in Kamloops are expected to be without natural gas service until late this evening.

Fortis spokesperson Diane Sorace says a gas main was hit around noon today on Arrowstone Drive. She says customers on that street are affected, as well as users on Silverthrone Crescent, Thor Drive, Bestwick Drive and Mahood Place.

“The cause of this was third-party damage. So there was someone working in the area, I believe a contractor doing some sort of construction work in that area, hit our gas line. Obviously when a natural gas line is damaged, it can have serious consequences that we’re seeing today, which is interruption of service for our customers.”

Sorace says a technician will be door knocking when the gas line is fixed to re-light gas service and natural gas appliances.

Meanwhile, Kamloops Fire Rescue says the flow of gas has now been stopped in Juniper Ridge, after a gas line was hit this morning.

Platoon Captain Darryl Demini says several homes on Qu’Appelle Boulevard and Emerald Drive had to be evacuated as a precaution, after the gas line was hit around 9:30 a.m. in the 1900-block of Qu’Appelle.

“Crews will walk through the homes to make sure there’s not a build-up of gas inside and then they’ll give the all-clear after that.”

Cooper says the gas line break was caused by a landscaper hitting a line in a complex under construction.

This comes 12 days after a gas line was hit in the 2000-block of Qu’Appelle Blvd which forced homes to be evacuated for a short time.