Natural Gas Leak Prompts Watertown Neighborhood Evacuations, Road Closures
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Emergency crews evacuated a Watertown neighborhood and closed local roads Wednesday afternoon after utility workers found a single-family home filled with natural gas.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2026, Watertown Fire Rescue responded with Engine 4, Battalion 1, and Medic 3 to assist Watertown Municipal Utilities at the residence. According to a Watertown Fire Rescue release, gas meters used by utility personnel showed that natural gas inside the structure had reached the Lower Explosive Limit.
Watertown Municipal Utilities crews isolated the gas supply at the residence's exterior meter. Because of the risk of fire or explosion, Watertown Fire Rescue and the Watertown Police Department established a large safety perimeter around the area. Responders evacuated surrounding homes and closed local roads for approximately 1.5 hours.
Crews initially allowed the home to ventilate naturally while evacuating the neighborhood. After 30 minutes, firefighters with air-monitoring devices approached the house and set up positive-pressure ventilation fans to clear the hazardous atmosphere from the building.
After roughly one hour of mechanical ventilation, gas monitoring equipment confirmed zero detectable levels of natural gas remained inside the structure.
Officials said they identified the cause of the leak and that there is no continued threat to the area.
