HALIFAX — A number of buildings were evacuated Friday in south Halifax because of a natural gas leak.
Halifax Regional Fire Department tweeted that the natural gas line has been permanently capped but the evacuation remained in place.
Two apartment buildings in the area were evacuated, affecting 40 to 50 people in each building.
The fire department says a construction company was doing demolition work in the area when the line was ruptured.
Children who were at a YWCA that was evacuated were taken to the lobby of a nearby office building.
Heritage Gas says the leak happened at 11:04 a.m. on Hollis Street, near South Street.
The fire department says it took about 90 minutes to pinch the leak.
Traffic was snarled through the city's downtown. Hollis Street is a main artery for truck traffic that connects Halifax's port to major highways.