A high-pressure gas main was struck just before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in front of 467 Prospect Avenue in Park Slope, according to the FDNY, prompting the evacuation of surrounding buildings as crews rushed to the scene. No injuries were reported in the incident, the FDNY said.
A National Grid spokesperson said a third-party contractor working for an organization other than the utility struck the line, as reported by News12 Brooklyn. FDNY and National Grid crews investigated behind caution tape near the address, while the station noted the Department of Buildings had not been called to the scene.
The strike hit an active construction site with a complicated backstory. Just days earlier, Goose Property Management closed on the purchase of the 441–467 Prospect Avenue property from Arrow Linen Supply Company for $55 million, according to The Real Deal, taking over the long-dormant redevelopment site after Arrow Linen stepped back from developing it in-house.
A Proposed, Densely Packed Development
Department of Buildings applications with open plan-exam objections call for four separate 10-story, 99-unit residential buildings across the property, including one at 467 Prospect Avenue, per Hush Street, which names Hamish Whitefield Architects in connection with the filings. Splitting the roughly 396-unit project into four buildings of 99 units each keeps every structure just under the 100-unit threshold that triggers New York's 485-x construction wage requirements, the outlet reported.
The City Council approved a rezoning for the site, along with an earlier two-building plan, in March 2025, following neighborhood opposition during the land-use process. The four-building Department of Buildings filings are separate from that earlier plan.
The site was home to Arrow Linen, a business that began in 1947 and was 79 years old in 2026.
Strict Rules Govern Digging Near Gas Lines
New York law sets out clear steps excavators must follow before breaking ground near utility lines. Under Article 36 of the state's General Business Law and 16 NYCRR Part 753, excavators must contact New York 811 at least two to 10 days before non-emergency digging to request utility markouts, according to UDig NY guidance. Separately, State Code Rule 753 requires crews working near marked gas facilities to verify line locations and depths with hand-dug test holes before bringing in powered mechanical equipment within the designated tolerance zone, per UDig NY.
Entities that damage utility lines or fail to follow the protection rules can face state civil penalties of up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $10,000 for each subsequent violation within 12 months, under New York General Business Law §765 and Public Service Law §119-b.
Part of a Troubling Pattern Across Brooklyn
Wednesday's strike follows other gas-related incidents across the borough. A gas main rupture at 160 86th Street in Bay Ridge seriously injured a National Grid employee and forced multi-building evacuations after utility lines were damaged during street-level work, as Hoodline previously reported. Crews in that incident isolated the breach by shutting valves at both ends of the damaged pipe section.
The scale of the problem extends citywide. New York City logged 22,090 reported gas leak incidents in 2018 alone, more than the combined total of the next 25 largest U.S. cities, according to research published in ScienceDirect.
