PG&E

PG&E Crews Go Door-to-Door to Restore Service in Moraga Following Outage Caused by Sinkhole

Roughly 200 service representatives were going door to door in Moraga late Monday to restore gas service and relight pilot lights after a sinkhole led to a gas leak and a service outage for hundreds of customers, according to PG&E.

Customers who cannot be contacted through the utility's initial outreach will find a contact card directing them to call 1-800-743-5000 to schedule service restoration, according to PG&E spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin.

Most service crews will be working through midnight, according to Subbotin, but a mobile command center set up in the area will be operating overnight to respond to customers requesting that their service be restored during the early morning hours.

A full deployment of service representatives is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning, Subbotin said, and utility crews will remain in the area until all customers have had their service restored.

A report about the sinkhole was first received by police at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Rheem Boulevard and Center Street, adjacent to Moraga Road, Moraga acting police Chief Jon King said.

Then the 4-inch gas line was ruptured at about 5 p.m. when the surface around the sinkhole gave way and a traffic signal pole dropped in, King said.

Residents of up to 100 nearby homes were asked to shelter in place as PG&E crews responded to stop the flow of gas. A Moraga-Orinda Fire District engine crew was standing by during the incident, King said.

About 450 people from nearby businesses were also evacuated because of the break, which was producing a strong odor in the area.

King said for at least three to four days, Rheem Boulevard at Center Street will remain closed as city engineering and construction crews work to assess the sinkhole's damage and work to repair it.

Moraga Police this morning advised residents that the utility's employees will be going door-to-door to the homes of PG&E customers, and that they should be easily identifiable by their uniform and employee ID.

Residents with questions about someone who is contacting them are asked to call Moraga police at 925-284-5010.

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