Crime & Courts

Gas leak reported near South Carolina Governor’s Mansion. Here’s what we know

A gas leak shuts down Gadsden Street near the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion on Monday, August 12, 2024.
A gas leak shuts down Gadsden Street near the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion on Monday, August 12, 2024. jboucher@thestate.com

Emergency services closed off a street next to the SC Governor’s Mansion Monday morning, after a construction crew reportedly hit a gas main.

First responders from the Columbia Police Department and the Columbia-Richland Fire Department were on scene outside of the governor’s residence around 10:40 a.m. and had closed traffic on Gadsden Street.

No evacuations or injuries have been reported at this time, said a fire department spokesman.

The South Carolina Governor’s Mansion and its grounds occupy a block of Richland Street in in the historic Arsenal Hill neighborhood near downtown Columbia. It is the official residence of South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

A construction crew working in the area hit a gas line under Gadsden Street earlier Monday morning, said Mike DeSumma, a spokesperson from the Columbia-Richland Fire Department. The street, on the west side of the Governor’s Mansion, is closed between Laurel Street and Richland Street.

The Columbia Police Department is providing traffic control while teams from Dominion are working to resolve the problem, DeSumma said. A truck from Dominion was seen arriving shortly before 11.

A spokesman for McMaster said Monday that the gas leak was reported across the street from the Governor’s Mansion, on Gadsden Street. McMaster is out of state attending a Republican Governors’ Association meeting, the spokesman said.

Chris Trainor contributed to this report.

This story was originally published August 12, 2024 at 11:22 AM.

Ted Clifford
The State
Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.
Chris Trainor
The State
Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 21 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.
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