Seattle residents were evacuated on Wednesday as a natural gas leak ignited, melting through asphalt and sending flames shooting up through the sidewalk.<br />Residents on the 2700 Block of Seattle’s East Cherry street were evacuated, and the surrounding area experienced a power outage affecting more than 2,000 customers, as utilities moved to shut off power and natural gas to the area.<br /><br />“Avoid area, and listen to firefighters and police on scene if they ask you to evacuate,” the fire department said on Twitter on Wednesday.<br />Authorities have not reported any injuries so far.<br />According to Seattle’s emergency notification system, the fire is in an underground drain. The fire began after 11 am.<br /><br />Firefighters are using chemicals to “knock down the natural gas fire to protect exposures,” according to the fire department. It said the leak is “expected to be an extended incident.”
