Residents of 53 apartment units in Antioch were evacuated after firefighters found natural gas and carbon monoxide at 215 Ben Hill Drive. The Nashville Fire Department responded to a carbon monoxide alarm at about 1:20 a.m.; the readings across the property prompted crews to monitor the site as residents waited for a safe return.
According to NewsChannel 5, testing found both gases in multiple buildings. A 36-unit building was fully evacuated, while residents in four nearby townhome buildings mostly left on their own. No injuries have been reported, and medical crews have not had to assess anyone.
A Methane Pocket Disturbed by Nearby Construction
Fire crews consulted a geologist and suspect that digging or blasting at a nearby construction site may have disturbed a methane pocket, the station reported. Officials described the gas as natural gas coming from the ground, rather than a leak from commercial gas infrastructure; the suspected source has not been confirmed. Spire responded, but crews had not been able to reach the property’s management, according to the report.
The readings have fallen slightly since crews arrived but have since held steady, the report said. Fire officials estimated that clearing the gas could take as long as three days, leaving the return date uncertain for residents.
What safety guidance says
For excavation and demolition in Tennessee, the Tennessee Public Utility Commission says those responsible for the work must obtain a locate ticket from Tennessee 811. That general precaution does not establish that a utility line was struck at Ben Hill Drive. For carbon-monoxide prevention, the U.S. Fire Administration recommends alarms outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of a home. That alarm-placement advice concerns carbon monoxide; it does not specify how officials should respond to natural-gas readings.
Residents Scramble as Most Clear Out
Most residents have left the complex. Those who have not yet departed can use the apartment clubhouse as a shelter while crews monitor conditions. The possible three-day clearance period means residents may need to arrange other accommodations through the weekend.
Echoes of Past Nashville Gas Incidents
This isn't the first time construction activity has triggered a gas emergency in Nashville this year. Back in June, the Nashville Fire Department responded to a major gas leak on 10th Avenue North after a construction crew struck a gas line, prompting evacuations at both the construction site and a nearby YMCA as a precaution, according to WSMV. In that case, Spire, operating as Piedmont, secured the leak by shutting off the affected line, with repairs estimated to take just four to five hours — a far shorter timeline than what Ben Hill Drive residents now face.
Carbon monoxide has also forced large-scale evacuations in Nashville before. In January, firefighters evacuated every resident from the Signature Music Row apartment building, a 180-unit complex that was about 85 percent occupied at the time, after suspected carbon monoxide poisoning sickened multiple people. Four people were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and two others sought hospital care on their own, the outlet noted, after crews measured carbon monoxide levels between 200 and 500 parts per million on some floors. The Nashville Office of Emergency Management brought buses to serve as warming areas that night, and the American Red Cross was notified to help residents find shelter.
No hospitalizations have been reported at the Ben Hill Drive complex. Officials have described the situation as one they are actively monitoring, but the steady readings mean residents are still waiting for confirmation that it is safe to return.
