Tulare County Sheriff's and fire officials say a Caterpillar tractor accidentally scraped a natural gas pipe, sending fumes leaking into the neighborhood at around noon on Tuesday. It happened near Ivanhoe on Road 160 between Avenue 320 and El Rio.
Several homes were evacuated and so were about 20 students from Charter Home School Academy. Gas company crews patched up the line late Tuesday afternoon. The work took longer than expected because the piping is made of steel, not plastic.
No injuries are being reported and people are being allowed back into their homes.
