Natural gas leak forces evacuation of Lowe's in Yulee

YULEE, Fla. – A natural gas leak forced evacuations and road closures Wednesday morning in Nassau County, officials said via Twitter.

Nassau County Emergency Management said the leak was reported near a Lowe's on State Road 200/A1A, just east of Barnwell Road in Fernandina Beach.

The hardware store and parking lot were evacuated, and Barnwell Road and SR 200 were closed while repairs were made.

The utility company had to shut off gas and "bleed the breached line" to control the leak so repairs could be made.

State Road A1A reopened in front of the Lowe's about 10:20 a.m.