According to Xcel Energy, a third-party contractor that was doing excavation work Thursday afternoon struck a gas line near the Marshall Stop gas station on Cleveland and Marshall avenues, causing a gas leak and outage for the neighborhood.

The St. Paul Fire Department, St. Paul Police Department and Xcel Energy crews responded and closed surrounding roadways while they worked to fix it.

“We closed off the gas line, disrupting service to two customers while we make repairs,” Xcel Energy spokesperson Randy Fordice said. “We appreciate our customers’ patience as we quickly and safely restore service.”

The St. Paul Fire Department was not immediately available for comment.

Junior Alex Lagios was ordered out of his off-campus home, across the street from Marshall Stop.

“We could smell this gas-like smell, because we were outside hanging out, and sure enough the fire department … were banging on our doors telling us to evacuate,” Lagios said.

His neighbor, junior Jack Stumpf, was also evacuated.

“My roommate and I were getting ready for a presentation, and we got a knock on our back door from a fireman saying that we needed to evacuate our house immediately,” Stumpf said. “It was a little freaky.”

Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.