Gas leak mitigated, Florida's Turnpike reopened after excavator hits gas main causing major leak, officials say

A major gas leak that forced officials to shut down Florida's Turnpike for hours in Hollywood on Friday has been mitigated, and the highway is being reopened, officials said.As of Friday afternoon, southbound lanes have reopened, and northbound lanes remain closed.The intense situation began to unfold just before 11 a.m. when Hollywood Fire-Rescue said they responded to the area of North 62nd Avenue and Arthur Street for a reported gas leak.When units arrived, they said that they found a main gas line running the length of Florida's Turnpike was struck by an excavator, resulting in a major gas leak."This was an 18-inch pipe that was hit, and it goes again from Miami up the state of Florida; from our understanding, it goes to the state of Texas," said Hollywood Fire Chief Jeffrey Levy.Levy said the gas pressure created a large hole in the ground, sending a cloud of dirt, mud, and gas into the air. "Worst case scenario is that we could've had fatalities: the operator of the excavator, nu