Did Xcel repair crews take too long to repair a broken gas line after an early-morning crash Monday morning? That is the question some are asking after the utility company took almost 2 1/2 hours to get a full repair crew to the broken pipe near Third Ave and Quebec Street.

The pipe was broken after a driver traveling southbound on Quebec Street lost control of his car and crashed into the side of a condominium complex. The car hit eight natural gas meters and also broke the main gas feed line to the condos.

"They had to recap the pipe. It was a difficult repair. I talked to Xcel as well and they said it's not an easy thing for them to assemble a crew in time to get out here. For us, we'd like to see a quicker response. I'm sure the citizens would like to have seen it quicker," said Lt. Phil Champagne of the Denver Fire Department.

Mark Stutz with Xcel Energy told 7News, "We believe we responded within an appropriate amount of time, given the time of day and mobilization effort needed." Stutz said the difficulty for them was the time of day and needing more time to mobilize a full repair crew in the middle of the night. "I'm sure the response time would have been faster if the accident happened at 1 in the afternoon," Stutz said.

Xcel provided 7News with a timeline of their response time.

1:16 a.m. – Xcel Energy received a call on a natural gas odor complaint in the area of 3rd and Quebec streets

1:20 a.m. – Xcel Energy received a second call requesting an electric crew for possible issues in the same general area

1:30 a.m. – Xcel Energy received a third call noting that there was a broken natural gas line in the same general area

1:35 a.m. – Xcel Energy electric crews arrived (15 minutes after call) and assessed the situation from an electric operations standpoint. They found no issues; electric crews cannot do repairs on natural gas issues.

2:10 a.m. – Xcel Energy first responders arrive on site (40 minutes after the broken line call). Their duty is to assess the situation, make the site as safe as possible and call for crews to fix the broken line, based on the labor and equipment that will be need. The call then goes out for an on-call crew, which must head to the dispatch facility to get the repair truck and needed equipment, and then drive to the site.

3:40 a.m. – A full Xcel Energy repair crew arrives on site and begins effecting repairs, which are completed later in the morning.

The Denver Fire Department told 7News they received the 911 call at 1:11 a.m. and responded immediately. They stayed at the scene until the full Xcel work crew turned off the gas.

Denver Fire said the greatest danger with a gas line break is the gas getting trapped in an enclosed space where a potential explosion could occur.

"My job is not to second guess other agencies but the bottom line is from our perspective, we certainly would have likes to seen a quicker response. In situations like this, it can turn volatile relatively quickly and we're about public safety and life safety. Although it was just a repair call, for us it's a real life emergency and for the residents who live here as well," said Champagne.

The driver who caused the accident was charged with careless driving after losing control and hitting the building.