CONCORD, Mass. (WHDH) — A propane gas leak at a building under construction in Concord prompted evacuations and road closures Wednesday.

Officials inspecting the Emerson Umbrella building on Stow Street about 1 p.m. ordered everyone out when a piece of equipment hit the valve of a 1,000-gallon underground propane tank and caused a leak, officials said.

Residents and businesses in the immediate area were evacuated out of an abundance of caution.

“The concern was the gas in the area and the gas around the houses,” Concord Fire Chief Thomas Judge said. “We were getting very, very high readings.”

Firefighters blocked off surrounding roads in the area, including Main Street at Thoreau, Walden, Stow, and Everett streets. A nearby afterschool program was relocated.

The tank has since been replaced and the leak has been plugged. The building is being aired out.

All homes in the area have been metered and residents are being allowed back into the neighborhood.

This is a developing news story. Stay with 7News for updates online and on-air.

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