West Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) – The West Columbia Fire & Police Department’s closed all lanes of Sunset Boulevard in the 2800 block Tuesday afternoon. This, according to officers with the departments as well as the Lexington Medical Center’s Department of Public Safety. Lexington County’s Fire service was also on the scene assisting. The incident also forced the closing of the eastbound exit ramp from I-26 onto Sunset Boulevard. The emergency was reported around 3:30 p.m. and the road wasn’t reopened until after 5:00 p.m.
According to the West Columbia Police Department’s Twitter account, the gas main's break was just to the west of the hospital. They were urging people who needed to access the LMC campus to enter from the east side only.
At one point, motorists were being directed through the parking lot of Lexington Medical Center. Although access was limited at times, the hospital was able to operate its facilities during the emergency.
Dominion Energy dispatched crews to stop the gas leak. Things in the area only returned to normal after the line was repaired.
