Nearly a dozen homes evacuated due to broken natural gas line in Seattle
Mar 7, 2026, 2:12 PM | Updated: Mar 8, 2026, 12:50 pm
Several homes had to be evacuated due to a gas line leak Saturday morning, in Seattle's Central District. (Photo: Seattle Fire Dept.)
(Photo: Seattle Fire Dept.)
A tense situation unfolded in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood Saturday.
At least ten homes were evacuated, due to a broken natural gas line.
Just before 11:00 a.m., the Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Center received a 911 call reporting the broken line.
This was near 30th Ave. and E. Yesler Way.
Crews arrived and started an investigation.
Seattle firefighters monitor gas levels in the atmosphere near the ruptured pipe. (Seattle Fire Dept.)
The gas line supplied a single-family home and firefighters immediately evacuated the house.
They also took natural gas readings and evaluated wind direction.
That led to a decision to evacuate several other nearby homes in a one-block area north of the broken gas line.
This rectangle shows the area impacted by a gas leak Saturday. (Map courtesy Seattle Fire Dept.)
Fire crews set up an off-limits zone to keep people from entering the affected area.
Fire crews, police officers and King County Metro set up barricades to block streets from Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. at S. Jackson St. to 31st Ave. S. and the northbound lanes of S. Washington St.
Puget Sound Energy crews arrived shortly after.
Workers repaired the damage and secured the gas line by around 1:00 p.m.
Firefighters gave the all clear at that time, allowing people to go back inside their homes.
No injuries were reported.
