Police officers are going door-to-door to evacuate homes near Lake City Way Skytrain Station after emergency crews saw natural gas bubble up from the nearby Lougheed Highway.
Skytrains have been halted and traffic is being diverted from the Lougheed Highway as the strong gas smell permeates the area.
The area was being evacuated out of "an abundance of caution," Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan told CTV News Monday night.
"I don't want people panicking," he said. "We are taking it very carefully... the fire department and the police are there."
People being evacuated should head to the Cameron Recreation Centre, at 9523 Cameron Street.
One witness reported seeing a bubble in the road surface and what appears to be liquid gasoline leaking onto the road.
A Terasen natural gas pipeline running under Lougheed Highway is what burst, Corrigan said.
Police have cordoned off the eastbound highway and firefighters have been called to evacuate the area.
Some homes are being evacuated south of the Lougheed between Production Way and Bainbridge. The major focus of the evacuation is Westlake Street.
"The police knocked on the door and told us to leave about five minutes ago," a man who lives on Westlake Street who would only give his name as Mr. Leung said.
He said he and his children were getting out as quickly as possible.
The Skytrain line has been interrupted, with trains stopping at Production Way to the east and Sperling to the West. The southernmost point of evacuation is Government Road.
Last July, 11 Burnaby homes were damaged by a rupture of a Kinder Morgan oil pipeline, which sent about 234,000 litres of oil spurting into a suburb as the line spewed for some 30 minutes.
Stay tuned to ctvbc.ca for further updates.
If you're affected by the gas leak, we want to hear from you! Call the CTV News Desk at 604-609-5732, or the BC Online Hotline at 604-609-4909.
