Emergency crews remain on scene  where a gas line was ruptured in Quesnel – photo 250News

Quesnel, B.C.- Traffic is being allowed to flow through Quesnel on highway 97, but the downtown core  of the city  remains off limits.

Earlier this afternoon,  a gas line was  ruptured during a dig in the Safeway parking lot  on Reid Street.

Fortis gas is now on scene, working on closing the   gas line.  But even as crews work to repair  the line,  our photographer said  he could hear the gas  rushing out of the line as he snapped photos of the scene.

All of downtown Quesnel was evacuated, and an evacuation centre has been  setup at the Quesnel Recreation Centre on North Star Road.

There are no reports of any injuries.  For a time,   Highway 97  was closed from 1 km north of Quesnel to  the top of Dragon Lake Hill.