Gas leak in downtown Atlanta prompts evacuations at Georgia State Capitol

A gas leak in downtown Atlanta prompted evacuations Wednesday morning at the Georgia State Capitol.

Atlanta Fire Rescue spokesman Anare Holmes said a crew struck a main gas line at Piedmont Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, bordering the Capitol’s northeast side, at about 9 a.m.

Fire crews are taking readings of the air quality and monitoring impacted areas with hopes of repairing the leak within the next couple of hours, he said.

John Spink

John Spink

MLK Drive between Piedmont and Washington Street has been shut down, as well as the area around Courtland Street and Decatur Street. The Georgia Department of Transportation anticipates roads will reopen around 1 p.m.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety and Atlanta Gas Light are also on the scene. GDPS spokeswoman Courtney Lund called the Capitol evacuation a precaution.

John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Vehicle and pedestrian traffic are being redirected around the affected area as Atlanta Fire and Atlanta Gas Light assess the line,” Lund said. “We will update as more information becomes available.”

There have been no injuries reported, Holmes said.