Gas Leak Shuts Down Section of North Broadway in Rochester (UPDATE)

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A one block section of North Broadway in Rochester was closed to traffic for about 5 hours today due to a natural gas leak.

The Rochester Fire and Police Departments responded just before noon to some commercial buildings housing several businesses in the 600 block of North Broadway. The businesses were evacuated and the Fire Department detected explosive gas inside the buildings and some nearby structures

Fire Department Captain Brett Knapp says workers from Minnesota Energy Resources were able to trace the leak to an underground line that serviced the Kismet Store and Gillespie Sporting Goods from a rear alley. After digging up a section of a rear parking lot and down several feet into the frozen ground to reach the break in the pipe, firefighters attached two clamps to halt the leak.