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Evanston apartment buildings evacuated due to gas leak

3 apartment buildings evacuated after Evanston gas leak
3 apartment buildings evacuated after Evanston gas leak 00:26

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three apartment buildings in north suburban Evanston were evacuated Tuesday morning due to a natural gas leak.

The Evanston Fire Department said a high-pressure gas line broke Tuesday morning at an apartment building at 823 Dobson Street. 

"We had a contractor strike a gas line. Right now you can hear it in the background. We had low levels in three apartment buildings, where we evacuated all three of those; approximately 20 units total evacuated right now, and we do have one other structure that we are ongoing monitoring with shelter-in-place provisions, because we have several invalids that live in there," Evanston Fire Department Division Chief Matt Smith said.

There were no gas level readings inside any of those buildings, according to Smith. ComEd temporarily shut off power on the 800 block of Dobson Street and on the odd-numbered side of the 800 block of Brummel Street as crews worked to repair the broken gas line.

Evanston officials said the gas line was fixed by 3:45 p.m., and people who had been evacuated from the apartment buildings had been allowed to return home.

No injuries were reported.

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