35 people evacuated for gas leak near downtown Durham

A gas leak forced the evacuation of dozens of people Monday in the Cleveland-Holloway neighborhood near downtown Durham, according to the Durham Fire Department.

Officers said the gas company was trying to get the gas leak under control around 8:15 a.m. on Ottawa Avenue near Oakwood Avenue. A water line was leaking as well, officials said.

Thirty-five people in the four-block radius were evacuated. The leak was contained by 10:30 a.m., firefighters said. No injuries were reported, but crews remained on scene completing repairs.

The cause for the gas leak is under investigation. There was no construction in the area at the time.

It has been more than three years since a deadly natural gas explosion killed two people and injured two dozen others west of downtown Durham.

A contractor installing underground cables struck a gas line outside the Kaffeinate coffee shop on North Duke Street on April 10, 2019. A state report released in May 2021 found the gas line was properly marked prior to the digging.

The owner of Kaffeinate died in the explosion, and a PSNC employee who had responded to the reported gas leak died two weeks later of injuries he suffered in the blast.