Residents of Westchester Drive in Churton Park react to the gas explosion that disrupted the quiet neighbourhood

Residents were evacuated, power cut and a street cordoned off after a gas main explosion in Churton Park, Wellington, on Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of customers lost power and Police and the Fire Service said a contractor digging at a new development may have hit a gas main.

Local resident Garvin Wong heard the explosion while he was working at home and saw a "heat wave" soon after.

ROBERT KITCHIN/FAIRFAX NZ Firefighters working at the scene of a suspected gas mains explosion in the northern Wellington suburb of Churton Park.

"I heard a boom. Basically everything went off. I thought maybe a truck hit a post."



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He was told the gas main needed to be inspected, and he had to leave his house, as did others on Westchester Dr south of Abilene Cres.

"I can tell you right now, the guy who did it must have got such a fright," local resident Jacqueline Pritchard said.

Emergency services were alerted to the explosion on Westchester Dr at 1.40pm.

"Apparently the digger hit the gas and power lines," nearby resident Jeannie Liddy said.

She was unable to drive to her house because a cordon was in place. Her home had no electricity.

Liddy said a new housing development was underway in the area. Three other residents said they also lost power about 1.40pm.

"I rang Genesis and they said it'd be active (again) around 5," one woman said.

Staff from Wellington Electricity were also at the scene and Wellington City Council had a welfare team on standby in case the situation worsened.

Some 1200 customers in 59 streets around Churton Park and Johnsonville lost power after a "third party cable strike and a gas strike," Wellington Electricity said.

Seven fire engines were at the scene with one pumping water to the side of the suburban road.

Firefighters were present as a precaution, Murray Dunbar of the Fire Service said.



One fire appliance had a "deck monitor" shooting a covering jet to help suppress gas and limit the amount of gas escaping into the atmosphere.

"It was a gas main that was severed during excavating, we understand," Dunbar added.

The cordon was lifted at 3.45pm and people returned to their homes.

WorkSafe staff were also at the scene, which was a construction site.

An earthmoving company employee has been contacted for comment.

According to Wellington Electricity, 65 customers were still without power a few minutes after 7pm.