Gas leak closes streets, forces evacuations in Winnipeg’s West End

A gas leak has closed a pair of West End streets and forced the evacuation of nearby homes.

The city says a construction contractor ruptured a gas line near the corner of St. Matthews Avenue and Strathcona Street shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday.

While the city says the gas is believed to be safely venting into the atmosphere, 16 homes in the immediate area have been evacuated out of an abundance of caution.

Manitoba Hydro is working to repair the damaged line and there is no timeline on when the work will be completed.

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Traffic on both St. Matthews Avenue and Strathcona Street will remain closed in all directions until the repairs are completed.

RELATED VIDEO: Gas leak triggers evacuation of some downtown Winnipeg buildings

0:46 Gas leak triggers evacuation of some downtown Winnipeg buildings