Update, 11:15 a.m.: Salem police said streets are back open as of 10 a.m.
NW Natural controlled the gas leak at 9:06 a.m., spokesman Jason Cox said. The leak was reported at 757 Center St. N.E.
Original story below:
Salem police and firefighters have closed several blocks downtown due to a reported gas leak in the 700 block of Northeast Center Street.
Center Street is closed between Northeast Cottage and Winter streets, police said in a post on X just before 9 a.m. Surrounding buildings have been evacuated.
The southbound lanes of Northeast Winter Street are also closed at Northeast Marion Street.
Multiple fire engines, a ladder truck and medical unit were on scene Wednesday morning. Police said NW Natural, the region’s natural gas utility, was responding.
The closures are around a block of buildings that include the Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association, Saint Mark Lutheran Church and First Congregational Church.
No injuries were reported, police spokeswoman Angela Hedrick said.
NW Natural spokesman David Roy said the utility did not have an “official determination” about the cause of the leak.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
