****UPDATE: Chapel Hill emergency personnel cleared the area around Rams Plaza just before 10 a.m. Friday morning. All businesses in the area were checked and deemed safe following the gas leak. Dominion Energy crews will be working to make repairs do the damaged gas line and restore gas to customers in the area.****

Chapel Hill emergency officials are on the scene of a reported gas leak in Rams Plaza on Friday morning.

Crews were dispatched to the scene shortly after 8:30 a.m. Friday and have blocked off traffic from entering portions of the parking lot of the shopping center and some nearby businesses were evacuated while the gas leak is being investigated.

Officials on emergency communications reported a “strong smell” around the reported gas leak and that crews “could hear” the ruptured line. Officials said it appeared a 2 inch line was damaged.

Dominion Energy is on the scene to repair the line. A Dominion Energy spokesperson said the line was damaged by a third party working in the area. The gas leak has been stopped, according to Dominion, but the repair work and ensuring natural gas has been restored to customers in the area is still estimated to take at least two hours.

Construction at the Hillstone project near the site was temporarily stopped while the leak was being stopped.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the area while the investigation is ongoing.

This post will be updated with additional information

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