The Starland district in the area of 37th and Bull Streets was closed for a couple of hours this afternoon due to a gas leak, the Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) said.

All buildings north to 36th Street and south to 38th Street were evacuated. Chatham Area Transit buses aided in evacuation efforts.

"Savannah Fire says a construction crew excavating the parking lot at 37th and Bull Streets struck a gas line, which prompted the evacuations," a CEMA spokesperson says.