Utility and emergency crews responded Wednesday afternoon to a gas leak at a busy intersection in the Union Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
Authorities closed streets within a one-block radius of the leak, and six homes were evacuated as a precaution. The streets were reopened later in the day and people were allowed to return to their homes.
A contractor conducting roadwork around 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Hamline and Selby avenues struck a natural gas main line and caused the leak, said St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.
Fire crews at the scene were regularly monitoring gas readings at nearby homes, he said. Readings hadn't indicated gas levels high enough to be explosive.
A 2-inch main and a 6-inch main were next to each other at the site of the leak.
NICOLE NORFLEET
