Downtown Birmingham Buildings Evacuated Due To Gas Leak

BIRMINGHAM (WWJ) - Several buildings were evacuated in downtown Birmingham, Tuesday morning, after a construction crew hit a gas main.

Included were Birmingham City Hall, the public library, and the AT&T building. No injuries or illnesses were reported, but people in the area reported a strong odor of natural gas.

Debra Dodd with Consumers Energy said they were able to identify the source of the leak.

"There was a third party contractor performing some work," she said. "They were doing some boring underneath the road; they the hit a one-and-a-quarter inch plastic gas main."

She said crews worked quickly to fix the problem.

"There is quite an odor," Dodd added. "Again, we have some service technicians that have responded and are checking for gas leaks in buildings. The police and fire responded."

People were allowed back into the buildings by early afternoon.