Firefighters spent about an hour at the site of the new Hughes County Jail east of Pierre after a natural gas line broke about 40 feet from the new building.

Pierre Fire Chief Bill Alexander said contractors working in the parking lot area hit the line Tuesday afternoon while they were drilling holes for electrical light poles. The break sent natural gas into the air.

The escaping gas smelled like rotten eggs and Alexander said it made plenty of noise for a while. He said firefighters shut off the ignition sources near the break and stood by to monitor it from a distance until crews from Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. arrived.

Alexander said an auger was still in place at the site, so another hole was dug to get access to the gas line and clamp it.