HAM LAKE, Minn. — The Anoka County Sheriff's Office reported residents could return home after a gas leak temporarily forced evacuations in Ham Lake Sunday night.
Around 8:45 p.m., the sheriff's office, Ham Lake Fire Department and Minnesota State Patrol responded to the area near the intersection of 143rd Avenue NE and Highway 65 after residents reported "loud hissing and rattling noises" near a pipeline substation, according to police. People in the affected area were asked to evacuate as utility companies and local law enforcement responded to the gas leak.
Around 10:15 p.m., the sheriff's office confirmed the gas had been turned off and residents were allowed to go home.
The incident temporarily caused both lanes of Highway 65 to be shut down between 147th Avenue Northeast and Bunker Lake Road near Ham Lake.
KARE 11's Chris Hrapsky spoke with a local resident via phone who noticed a "loud, deafening screech," that she equivocated to the sound of static on a television, that went on for some time.
Shortly thereafter, the resident said she and those around her received mobile notifications alerting them of the incident, which she said was on the west side of Highway 65.
The sheriff's office says the cause of the leak is still under investigation.