OTTAWA, On. — The smell of gas was wafting through the air in Overbrook Friday.

Acting fire chief Don Smith says the call came in just after 11 a.m.

Smith goes on to explain, “We got a two inch gas main it appears that’s been severed by a back hoe. We evacuated the units in the close proximity and we also went into other units to make sure they closed their windows, just as a precautionary measure.”

The  leak happened during construction at an Ottawa housing complex on Carsons Rd. and only the houses in that complex were evacuated.

Smith added Ottawa fire crews remained on scene Friday afternoon to monitor the situation as the wind in the area kept changing and could have caused a problem.

The residents were allowed back into their homes a short time later as Enbridge capped the leak and finished up monitoring the scene.