If you were traveling East Lake Drive around lunch time yesterday, you may have found the road closed around the East Lake MARTA Station.  David sent in this photo of Decatur Fire along the closed strip.  Decatur Fire’s Stephanie Burton provided us with the details of the incident…

On Monday, April 21, 2014 at 11:51am Decatur Fire Department responded to 222 E. Lake Dr. in reference to a gas leak.  Upon arrival, Decatur Fire found DeKalb County Water Shed working in the area.  A crew struck a residential service line.  The area was closed for approximately 2hrs to allow Georgia Natural Gas to shut down and repair the leak.  No one was evacuated.  The only location affected by the leak was 222 E. Lake Dr.

UPDATE: WriterChad reports on Twitter…

gas line break on S. Candler St. in #decaturga wife spoke with authorities, threat contained.

The AJC posted this at 9:40a this morning.  Anyone know if South Candler is still closed?  I’ll check with DPD.

Decatur police are rerouting traffic on several Decatur streets while the workers try to cap a gas leak that started around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Capt. Scott Richards said a stretch of South Candler was closed between Kirk Road and Broward Street. Police also closed Midway Road near its intersection with South Candler.

Richards said construction workers hit a gas line in the right-of-way, causing the leak.

From Decatur’s City Manager Peggy Merriss…

The gas leak has been fixed. In cooperation with the City Schools of Decatur, children who live in the area are staying at school for an extra 15 minutes before they are released to go home. We will have fire and police staff in the area to assist any children in reentering their homes and making sure windows are opened and that he house is well ventilated.

We will also begin shuttling persons back from the Decatur Recreation Center to their homes within approximately the next half-hour.

Atlanta Gas Light will be in the neighborhood for the remainder of the day and likely overnight going door-to-door to relight pilot lights.

We will also be issuing a new Code Red message to let everyone know it is safe to return to their neighborhoods.

There were no injuries and no property damage. Thanks to the wonderful emergency management and active living staff who made sure the inconveniences were minimal and gave people a safe, comfortable place to stay.

UPDATE IV: Another update from The Decatur Minute – 2:00 p.m. — The gas line has been shut off but it will still be several hours before residents will be able to return to the area.

UPDATE III: The CodeRed alert also said that “Ridley Circle, Harold Byrd Drive and Mockingbird Lane to Westchester Drive were also being evacuated.

UPDATE II: Just received my CodeRed alert relaying much of the same info in the update above.  One additional piece of info from the CodeRed: if you need transportation to the Rec Center, Decatur Police at the Coventry/Scott intersection can assist you.

UPDATE: From The Decatur Minute – 12:50 p.m.

The following streets are being evacuated: 300 to 600 blocks Coventry Road; Merrill Avenue; Chelsea Drive; Pope Circle; and Kathryn Avenue.

At this time, all residents residing in those specific areas need to open various windows throughout their residences then immediately evacuate from the area. The City of Decatur has established the Decatur Recreation Center as the staging and evacuation point for all residents. The Recreation Center is located at 231 Sycamore Street within the City of Decatur.

If you need transportation assistance to the Recreation Center, Police and Fire units are standing by at Coventry Road @ Scott Blvd. and will assist you in relocating to the recreation center.

From the city’s Lyn Menne…

There is a major gas line leak on Coventry Road. A contractor (I think DeKalb Co. but not certain) hit a gas line and residents in the area are being told to evacuate. We are sending out a code red telephone alert to all residents in the impacted area. We are setting up a temporary shelter at the Decatur Recreation Center for any residents who need a place to go. Will keep you posted.