A close-up photo by Geoffrey Neal of an Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana) tree on East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, N.C. The bark is dappled shades of gray and white with pale green lichen growing on it, too. The tree's sinewy texture is just visible. In the background are the street, some cars, a few other trees and brick storefronts against a bright blue spring sky.

The UNC Visitors Center, located at 134 East Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill, was evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to a gas leak. The Chapel Hill Fire Department initially responded to a report of the leak at 2:54 p.m., then began evacuating the building upon its arrival.

A spokesperson for Enbridge Gas, which provides natural gas to the Chapel Hill area, confirmed to Chapelboro that car damaged a natural gas meter and caused the leak.

According to a release from the Town of Chapel Hill, the leak has been stopped and firefighters expect to be able to let people return to the building soon. During the leak, eastbound lanes on East Franklin Street were briefly closed but have since reopened. Traffic patterns on Franklin Street have returned to normal.

The UNC Visitors Center first opened its doors on Franklin Street in early 2020. It was previously located in Morehead Planetarium, but moved out due to planned renovations.

 

Featured image via Geoffrey Neal

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