BANGOR – Workers at the Hollywood Slots construction site on Main Street hit a pressurized natural gas line while drilling a hole around 1:40 p.m. Friday, which sent debris flying and released gas into the air.

“The construction company was boring a hole underground and hit a 6-inch natural gas line,” said Darrell Cyr, assistant fire chief for Bangor Fire Department. “We called for Bangor Gas immediately and they shut off that particular line. It affected nobody.”

The line has been in place for a few years, and is going to supply Hollywood Slots, said Joe Cote, vice president and general manager for Bangor Gas Co.

There is at least one other customer on the damaged line, but its service was not active and so was not affected either, Cote said.

One worker, who asked not to be identified, said that “it blew everywhere – it was not an explosion. Dirt came flying and we went running.”

The roughly 1-foot diameter hole created by the pressurized gas was on the river side of Main Street, and some asphalt and dirt could be seen around the exit point.

Firefighters shut down Main Street between Dutton and Larkin streets for nearly an hour while Bangor Gas employees worked on the line. Construction road flaggers assisted in directing traffic.

A strong smell of natural gas was apparent in front of the Bangor Daily News, which along with McDonald’s and other buildings in the area, were inspected by firefighters to ensure the buildings were safe.

“Just as a precaution, we took our gas meter to make sure the atmosphere was safe for everybody to be in there,” Cyr said.

Fire crews left the scene and reopened the road at 2:25 p.m.

Bangor Gas employees used a small backhoe to dig down and look for the hole after firefighters left, blocking one lane of the four-lane road, and put a temporary clamp on the pipe, Cote said.

“At the first of the week, we’ll go in and make a repair [replacing the pipe section] and repressurize it,” he said.