Plaza reopened after gas leak

A major gas leak Wednesday closed forced the evacuation of a busy Woodbridge shopping center during the pre-Thanksgiving day rush.

A ruptured 8-inch gas line below Smoketown Plaza at 13770 Smoketown Road closed a Lowe’s hardware store, an Aldi grocery store, an IHOP, Wachovia Bank and a Glory Days restaurant, said Prince William County spokeswoman Nikki Brown.

In all, eight stores and restaurants in the shopping center at the intersection of Smoketown and Minnieville roads were evacuated. Nearby Golansky Boulevard also was closed due to its close proximity to the leak and the movement of the gas.

The leak was discovered about 8:15 a.m. Brown said a high concentration of natural gas was leaking into the sewer line behind the Village Thrift Store. Washington Gas spent much of the day on the scene depressurizing the line in order to repair it.

The shopping center reopened at 1 p.m. The cause of the leak is under investigation.

A store manager who asked not to be identified said he was not inside the store when it fire crews evacuated it. He said he spoke to his co-workers about the reported gas leak, and he said none of them smelled gas or noticed anything out of the ordinary.