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Columbus Zoo Closes Due To Gas Leak, But No Animals Harmed

Columbus Zoo
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Columbus Zoo officials say the zoo will remain closed for the rest of Friday, due to repairs on a gas line inside the main gate.  

A spokesperson for the zoo says no staff nor animals were injured, but the park could not open for the safety of guests. As of Friday afternoon, the gas line had been repaired.

The gas leak happened when a construction worker hit a gas line while using a backhoe to tear down a small food stand.  

“There was never any human or animals in danger," says zoo spokesperson John Gannon. "It became immediately obvious what it was, and the fact that it happened at 7:52, I think. That’s when I got my first phone call, there was just nobody around.”

Zoo officials expect to reopen Saturday morning at 10.

This story will be updated as more information develops.

Debbie Holmes began her career in broadcasting in Columbus after graduating from The Ohio State University. She left the Buckeye state to pursue a career in television news and worked as a reporter and anchor in Moline, Illinois and Memphis, Tennessee.