Gas leak in Chelsea forces residents to evacuate

CHELSEA, Mass. (WHDH) -- A gas leak in Chelsea forced nearly 150 people to evacuate their homes Monday night.

The city manager said they located the gas leak on Cherry Street. They are working to repair the leak and said it could have been much worse.

"I didn't really notice it until they knocked on the door. You can definitely smell it out here,” said Joe Wakim.

"I wasn't actually smelling anything at home,” said Marcos Bicalho.

We showed up moments after police and firefighters, just as they were beginning to tell people to leave.

"Yeah, we just got evacuated. We live above the CVS, said it was a gas leak and told us all to get out,” said Dan Peple, who evacuated after the gas leak.

Businesses are locked up early. Police said they are evacuating the entire block just to be safe.

"I heard firefighters buzzing, you could see them on the security camera and then banging saying we got to evacuate the whole block,” said Wakim. "I've never experienced anything like this."

Emergency crews have focused their attention to a building in the section of Broadway between 3rd and 4th Street.

Firefighters hooked up water hoses to hydrants, just in case of an explosion.

More than one hundred people, possibly a low estimate, are out of their homes, just trying to stay warm.

"Basically we're out in the cold, we have no car heat, so I have to stay with her here until they say you guys can come in,” said Bicalho.

"I was rushing. It's kinda cold out here so we wanted to make sure we're warm. They said they don't know how long we're going to be out here for,” said Wakim.

No one was hurt and the residents have been allowed back into their homes.