There were a few tense moments in Inwood after construction crews hit a gas line.

Contractors have been renovating the Inwood Library since July. On Sept. 25, as workers were preparing the ground outside the building, a backhoe struck a gas line.

Bill Epp, who lives two doors down, was asked to leave his home around 2:30 pm. When he returned at 5 pm, he was allowed back in his upper apartment as long as he kept his windows closed. Another home behind his apartment was also evacuated.

“I heard the (construction) guys thought it was a dead line because there was once a house there but it’s gone,” says Epp. “But it was still very much alive.”

Union Gas crews arrived several hours later and found the turn off valve in front of Epp’s apartment.

The $253,000 construction project, which includes new washrooms, is close to completion with a grand opening for the building planned at the end of October.