In the northern zone of the biggest Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, a gas leak from one of the underground tubes was contained on Saturday.
The risk of explosion was eliminated, according to the fire department.
The leak caused panic among local residents, who fled the scène after the leak occurred.
Diogo Gaspar, 64, was in a nearby pub with some friends. They were having a barbecue when they heard of the leak.
"It was a race to put out the fire of the barbecue. I was afraid that things would get really bad," said the resident of the area.
Diners at a nearby restaurant ran out when they became aware of the accident.
"Many clients ran out of the store without even paying. It was a race to turn off the lights and get out of the store," said Renan Mayal Pertoutto.
According to the fire department, the gas leak was caused by the street cleaning done by Sabesp, the basic cleaning company of Sao Paulo.
After Thursday's torrential rains, the company tried to reach deep into the gutters of the streets when one of the machines nicked the gas pipe.
The Sao Paulo Gas Company (Comgas), which is responsible for the underground tubes, has contained the leak and was trying to finish the repair work by the end of Saturday.
Source: Xinhua
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