Chatham-Kent police asked the public to avoid part of downtown Chatham due to a natural gas leak.
Police issued the alert at 4:43 p.m. Friday asking people to stay away from the areas of King Street West, Raleigh Street, Harvey Street and Lacroix Street while emergency crews assess the incident.
According to police, all properties in the affected area were instructed to evacuate.
Enbridge has reportedly shut off the natural gas in the area and the leak is being investigated.