Eugene Springfield Fire (ESF) responded to a gas leak early Friday, which forced an evacuation in downtown Eugene.

Fire crews were dispatched at 12:59 a.m. on Oct. 25 to reports of a gas odor outside a Market District coffee shop at 550 Oak Street.

Upon arrival, ESF says firefighters smelled gas in the area and used specialized monitors that detected low levels of gas.

The first priority was to look for gas above the cafe in the Market District Commons apartments to determine if there was a threat to life safety,” says ESF. “Gas was detected in the apartment building and a full evacuation was initiated.

While multiple crews worked to evacuate the building with the support of responding Eugene Police Department (EPD) officers, the truck crew forced their way into the cafe.

After entering, ESF reported high levels of gas were detected and the leak was fixed.

After evacuating the building and fixing the leak, crews worked to ventilate the building.

ESF says staff coordinated with NW Natural to determine the building was once again safe to occupy.

Residents were evacuated for approximately 2 hours and no injuries were reported.

“We appreciate the Eugene Police for their support in this incident and want to recognize the Gordon Hotel for providing a safe space to house evacuees,” said Eugene Springfield Fire.