Several buildings were evacuated in Whangarei about midday after contractors burst a gas main.
Emergency services worked together to clear people from the area, around Rust Avenue, after being called about 11.30am.
Fire service shift manager Colin Underdown said the leak came from a gas main underneath a footpath, which contractors had drilled through.
Three crews secured the area while they waited for the gas company to clamp the leak, but have now left the scene.
