Mishawaka homes left without heat

NIPSCO restored gas service to 52 homes in Mishawaka after the residents had to spend the night without heat.

On Wednesday, contractors working on a water main punctured the gas line.

It took longer than anticipated to make the repairs because water froze in the line.

The problem was fixed by Thursday morning and crews spent the day going door-to-door restoring service for customers.

"We were cold, and we were hopeful that the crews were going to be getting everything fixed rather   quickly,” said resident Adria Evens.

Evans said being without heat in negative degree weather is nightmare.

She and her husband broke out their warm wool blankets and did the best they could to stay warm in spite of frigid temperatures.

 NIPSCO said a contractor struck the gas line around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Evans said residents didn't know what was going on.

“Neighbors kind of passed texts back and forth as we got information but we were kind of left in the dark,” said Evans.

Evans says next time she and her family will be prepared.

Her husband went to Lowe's to get a space heater so they are not left in the cold if this were to happen again.

NIPSCO says things like this occur all throughout the territory during construction and that their customers are always their number one priority.