A cable worker was injured Tuesday in Lawrenceville when a torch he was using to repair an underground cable ignited a nearby gas line.

A crew from Charter Cable was finishing a repair job at 4:20 a.m. outside of 1060 Sunny Field Court when the flash fire occurred, said Gwinnett fire Capt. Thomas Rutledge.

The worker was reportedly in a hole using a torch to "shrink" a cable line when the fire ignited and burned him. He was conscious and alert when firefighters arrived to transport him to Gwinnett Medical Center.

Rutledge said the victim, whom authorities did not identify due to federal patient privacy laws, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The gas line continued to burn as firefighters waited for an emergency crew from Lawrenceville Gas to repair it. Four homes in the immediate area were evacuated as a precaution, Rutledge said.

The fire was brought under control at about 8 a.m., and residents were allowed to return to their homes at 9 a.m.