Residents along Modoc Road in Santa Barbara were directed to shelter in place Wednesday after a construction crew reportedly broke a natural gas line, causing a major leak, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.

Emergency personnel were dispatched at about 1:45 p.m. to a report of a gas odor in the area of Modoc Road near Las Positas Road, fire Battalion Chief Robert Mercado told Noozhawk.

They discovered that a 2-inch gas line was leaking from the middle of the roadway, in an area where a construction crew was working, Mercado said.

Firefighters went door to door at a nearby condominium complex, directing residents to close their doors and windows and shelter in place, he added.

Southern California Gas Company crews were called to the scene, and were working to stem the leak.

The roadway was shut down for about two hours in the area of the leak.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.