It happened around 4:15 p.m. Saturday on the 400 block of Darby Terrace.
Police say the woman was trying to parallel park when a driver in the car behind her honked the horn.
The noise startled her and she hit the gas pedal, slamming into a house and striking the gas meter.
Firefighters were called to the scene to spray down the car as they moved it off of the gas line.
The driver of the car was not seriously harmed but a Darby Borough officer was exposed to gas fumes while evacuating people from their homes. He was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
About 60 people from dozens of homes in the area were evacuated. Emergency crews have since allowed residents to return home.
"The lady just went up on the curb and ran into the gas tank. Then I heard the gas tank sizzling and all the commotion," said Kenneth Brintley.
It was very, very scary, but everything is okay now so I feel a little better," said Joann Brintley.
Meanwhile, PECO crews have been called to the scene to repair the gas meter and line.
