TEMPLE, Texas — A Temple couple said they were forced to sleep at a hotel for a few days after the city made a mistake while it drilled holes in their yard and ruptured a gas line.
Rudolph and Mary Martinez said it all started on September 28 when they saw water coming from out the ground in their yard. The couple said they called the City of Temple and told them they thought they had a big water leak. City workers came to their home and started to dig to find the problem, but hit a natural gas pipeline. That is when Atmos Energy stepped in.
In order to fix the gas leak, they had to drill around 70 small holes into the home's driveway.
For safety reasons, Atmos told the couple they would have to evacuate their home and stay a few nights at a hotel. The couple said Atmos Energy would reimburse them, but so far they said the company only paid for one night, which has been a big inconvenience for them.
"The doctors told us it would be better if we didn’t come in, but that means we would have to go back to a hotel,” Rudolph Martinez said. “We don’t have a place to stay. We don’t have no money. We must take a chance. I hate to do it, but I have to go around borrowing money. "
Atmos Energy said safety is their number one priority. Thye worked with the Temple Fire Department on Friday to make sure the couple’s home was safe for them to go back to. They said they are working to get the holes in the driveway repaired as soon as possible.
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