Gas line break causes evacuations near Topeka elementary school

Several people evacuated their homes Tuesday afternoon when someone hit a gas line.

Topeka Fire Captain Craig McClane says it happened around 11:30 a.m. in front of Whitson Elementary School, near 17th and Lakeside Drive.

Witnesses saw plumes of smoke coming from the leak and could smell the gas from a distance.

Traffic was redirected. Kansas Gas Service crews shut off the line a couple hours later.

The air has since cleared and people are back in their homes.