Route 12 in Killingly was closed at Morin Avenue because of gas leak late Monday morning and residents in a quarter-mile radius were evacuated, according to police.
State police said a backhoe hit a Yankee Gas main at 524 Main Street and evacuations were underway between Morin Avenue and North Street, near Larry's Auto, encompassing a quarter mile around the site.
The Red Cross opened a shelter at the Old Killingly High School for residents who had to leave their homes, but the leak is contained and the emergency shelter is closing, according to the Red Cross.
Seventeen people used the shelter while it was open.
