Odor from a gas leak at Fifth and E streets was detectable all the way to the Harris Overpass Wednesday.

Lincoln Fire & Rescue was called to the scene at 6:03 p.m. after a gas line was cut during construction, said Deputy Chief Dean Staberg. Firefighters began to evacuate nearby homes after they detected flammable levels of gas in the air.

Construction workers putting a storm drain in the street cut a 2-inch pressure gas line, the main line to Capital Concrete Co., 431 A St., said Capt. Mark Heithoff.

Officials took gas readings in homes on both sides of the street, but the gas leak didn’t travel to any houses, Heithoff said.

Aquila officials quickly arrived with excavation equipment and pinched off the leak, Heithoff said.

Explosion is a risk with gas leaks, Staberg said.