Unscheduled roadwork blocking E Madison St from 20th Ave to 22nd Ave in all directions. Use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/ZObJJ6lcL7

— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) July 5, 2022

Seattle Fire was evacuating buildings and working to contain a major natural gas leak after a  construction crew working on E Madison reportedly cut the line Tuesday afternoon.

Multiple SFD crews were dispatched to the area around 20th and E Madison just before 1:45 PM on the “Natural Gas Leak Major” call and began clearing buildings in the area including the nearby Planned Parenthood Health Center.

The construction crew working as part of the project to transform E Madison for new transit and infrastructure resources as part of the RapidRide G bus line was also being cleared from the scene as Seattle Fire determined the extent of the leak and how best to cap off the rupture.

Seattle Fire was working to clear a radius around the site of the break in all directions. Buildings included in the clearance effort were within one block of the break as crews measured air quality around the leak.

The gas was reported shut off by Puget Sound Energy at the leak site around 2:10 PM.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

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