Homes were evacuated on the Northeast side of St. Joseph Thursday morning after a water company crew struck a gas line while tearing out a portion of the street to get to the water main.

A Nixle message was sent out at 10:28 a.m. to warn people to avoid the area of Safari Dr. and Antelope Cir. because of the leak.  Six homes in that area were also evacuated as a precaution.

St. Joseph Fire Department Battalion Chief, Russell Moore said Street Crews were digging up a portion of the roadway on Safari Dr. and struck a service line that provide gas to the homes in that area.

The street was closed down while crews with Missouri Gas and Energy worked to contain the leak.

“Obviously the big concern is that there might be some gas that explodes or ignites and causes further damage,” said Moore.  “They identified and found the line that was broke.”

Issues with maneuvering around the water main prevented crews from accessing the leak initially.

Moore said a backhoe was brought out to dig up a portion of the ground to access the line below the water main.

No injuries were reported.

The intersection of Safari Cir. and Antelope Dr was reopened more than two hours later at 12:51 p.m.