Several buildings in uptown Saint John have been evacuated due to a natural gas leak.

City officials say the leak is in the area of 50 Water Street, between King Street and Princess Street.

A number of buildings in the area have been evacuated as Liberty Utilities works to restore the leak.

“Residents & businesses in the area are being directly advised of the evacuation by Saint John Fire,” the city said in a social media post.

“Saint John Police are on scene & area has been closed to vehicle & pedestrian traffic.”

About 1,700 Saint John Energy customers also lost power for a few minutes due to a “forced switching event” caused by the gas leak.

A spokesperson from the utility said power has since been restored to all but 76 customers on Water Street and Prince William Street.

“Those will be back on when conditions are safe,” the spokesperson said in an email.

More to come.