Gas is off until South Side sinkhole is stabilized

YOUNGSTOWN

Natural gas will remain shut off to a 2-inch diameter plastic line until a South Side sinkhole that caused the line to leak is stabilized and permanent repairs can be made, a Dominion East Ohio spokesman said. Neil Durbin, the gas company’s senior communications specialist, said there were no active gas customers near the sinkhole, which opened up Sunday in the 1000 block of Shady Run Road, pulling a gas tap away from a house and causing the company to shut off the gas. Firefighters and gas company crews responded to reports of a natural gas odor at the scene, and the city street department was called to repair the sinkhole and the road. There were no injuries. The cause of the sinkhole is unknown, Durbin said.