Crews repair natural gas leak in Nashua

NASHUA – An apparent natural gas leak forced the closure of Briarcliff Drive between Fordham and Portchester drives for several hours Friday. Wayne Johnson, who lives on Briarcliff Drive, said gas began leaking Friday afternoon in his and two other homes on the street. Nobody was evacuated, he added. Johnson said a Liberty Utilities worker indicated the problem may be with some couplings, or fittings, in the gas line buried beneath the road. Utility crews brought in a backhoe and dug a roughly 6 by 3-foot hole, about 5 feet deep, in front of 3 Briarcliff Drive. A worker at the scene said he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters, but indicated the job would be wrapped up and the road reopened by 7 or 8 p.m. A man who answered the Liberty Utilities emergency line said the office was closed and nobody was available to comment. – DEAN SHALHOUP