Residents evacuated as flames come up through sidewalk in Seattle

The fire melted through pavement

Seattle residents were evacuated on Wednesday as a natural gas leak ignited, melting through asphalt and sending flames shooting up through the sidewalk, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

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.

“Avoid area, and listen to firefighters and police on scene if they ask you to evacuate,” the fire department said on Twitter on Wednesday.

Authorities have not reported any injuries so far.

According to Seattle’s emergency notification system, the fire is in an underground drain, KOMO News reported. The fire began after 11am, according to KIRO.

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.”