An evacuation has been lifted in downtown Regina after a natural gas leak in an alley.
According to police, there was a natural gas pipe break in the alley at the 1800 block of Hamilton Street Alley at around 10:30 a.m.
Police said the cause of the leak was a vehicle striking a gas line in the alley.
The Conexus building and the Capitol Building were evacuated. The Skybridge was also closed and witnesses reported a smell of gas in the area. The gas leak was contained at around 11:25 a.m.
Karli Jessup, who works at Articulate Ink, was heading to work on the second floor of the Capitol building when she heard the news.
“I was just going upstairs to work and one of the chefs at the Capitol ran up and grabbed me, said get out cause there’s a big gas leak,” Jessup explained.
At the time, police blocked off 11th Avenue and 12th Avenue while diverting traffic and pedestrians out of the area. They also shut down the Hamilton Street and Saskatchewan Drive intersection. As of 12:05 p.m., police confirmed traffic was back to normal. People have returned to the buildings.
Joel Williams, Capitol restaurant owner and executive chef said he arrived to work to find a gas leak behind his restaurant.
“The sound I heard was like a rushing waterfall… pure gas, very loud. Very stinky,” Williams explained.
“Immediately.. We smelt gas. There was a bit of small panic, and then once we were out and everybody had gotten debriefing, everyone was fine.”
Power was out at businesses between 11th and 12th Avenues and Hamilton and Rose Streets but SaskPower said it has since been restored.
The driver of the vehicle that hit the gas line was a man in his thirties, police said. He has been charged with driving without due care and attention.
With files from Christa Dao.
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