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Wake Forest, Wake County

Wake Forest: Gas line rupture closes South Brooks Street; Town Hall evacuated

The town said workers hit a line between East Owen and East Wait avenues Tuesday evening. Town Hall and a nearby brewery were emptied. Nearby residents were told to stay inside.

DevelopingOfficials are still releasing information. We update this story as facts are confirmed.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The downtown Raleigh skyline on a sunny day

File photo: Abhiram Juvvadi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A Town of Wake Forest notice dated Oct. 20, 2026, said emergency personnel were on a ruptured gas line along South Brooks Street between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue. The ruptured line was caused by construction workers.Confirmed by Town of Wake Forest, Oct. 20, 2026
  • That notice, first posted at 7:15 p.m., said South Brooks Street was closed between East Owen and East Wait. Motorists were urged to avoid the area and choose an alternate route.Confirmed by Town of Wake Forest, Oct. 20, 2026
  • The same notice said Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., and Norse Brewing, 203 S. Brooks St., had been evacuated. No other evacuations had been ordered at that time. Residents in the area were urged to shelter in place until further notice.Confirmed by Town of Wake Forest, Oct. 20, 2026
  • An update on that page said Wake Forest Fire Department officials expect South Brooks Street to stay closed until early Wednesday morning. Anyone in the vicinity smelling a strong natural gas odor is urged to call 911.Confirmed by Town of Wake Forest, Oct. 20, 2026
  • WRAL, citing the town, said the line was ruptured around 7 p.m. Tuesday. A later WRAL update said that at 4 a.m. Wednesday, crews reported the leak had been patched and workers were filling the hole, and that the street would stay closed until further notice Wednesday morning.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 21, 2026
  • CBS 17 also reported that repair crews patched the leak and began filling the excavation hole, and that the fire department expected the street to stay closed until early Wednesday morning.Confirmed by CBS 17, Oct. 21, 2026

Still unknown

  • Whether the town has lifted the shelter-in-place request
  • Whether South Brooks Street has reopened
  • The contractor's name and which utility owns the line
  • Whether anyone was hurt

What this means for you

Roads
South Brooks Street is closed between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue. The town and WRAL said the closure was expected to last into Wednesday morning. Use another route and watch for crews.
Public safety
Anyone nearby who smells a strong natural gas odor should call 911. The town asked residents in the area to shelter in place until further notice. This site is not an emergency service.

Instructions from Town of Wake Forest

This site is not the Town of Wake Forest. For the closure and later all-clear, use the town's Oct. 20 notice. If you smell gas or someone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Wake Forest, a ruptured gas line closed part of South Brooks Street on Tuesday night after construction workers hit it.

A municipal notice, first posted at 7:15 p.m., put emergency crews on the block between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue. Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks, and Norse Brewing at 203 were emptied. No other buildings were ordered out at that time. Nearby residents were told to stay put until officials said otherwise.

The Wake Forest Fire Department later said that stretch should remain shut until early Wednesday. Anyone close by who smells a strong natural gas odor should call 911.

WRAL, updating after 4 a.m. Wednesday, reported that crews had patched the leak and were filling the hole, and that the pavement would stay closed until further notice that morning. CBS 17 also described a patch and backfill. We have not seen a later municipal post that lifts the stay-inside request or reopens the street.

Use another way through downtown and watch for crews.

This site is not the town. For the closure and any all-clear, use the Oct. 20 notice. If you smell gas or someone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No town or station photos are used here.

Why it matters

People who work downtown or drive South Brooks Street need the detour and a clear line on what the town has and has not lifted. The leak is confirmed; the all-clear is not.

Updates

  1. Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

    The town said construction workers ruptured a gas line on South Brooks Street on Tuesday evening, closed the block, emptied Town Hall and Norse Brewing, and asked nearby residents to stay inside. WRAL said crews reported the leak patched around 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Sources

  1. Gas leak closes portion of South Brooks Street (Town of Wake Forest, Oct. 20, 2026: first posted 7:15 p.m.; ruptured gas line on South Brooks Street between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue caused by construction workers; street closed; Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., and Norse Brewing, 203 S. Brooks St., evacuated; no other evacuations ordered; residents urged to shelter in place; fire department update expects closure until early Wednesday morning; call 911 if a strong natural gas odor is smelled nearby)

    Official sourcePublished by Town of Wake Forest · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  2. Gas leak closes portion of South Brooks Street (Town of Wake Forest alert: ruptured line on South Brooks Street between East Owen and East Wait; street closed; Town Hall and Norse Brewing evacuated; shelter in place; call 911 for a strong gas odor)

    Official sourcePublished by Town of Wake Forest · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  3. Wake Forest gas leak patched, shelter-in-place remains in area (WRAL, Oct. 21, 2026: town said construction workers ruptured the line around 7 p.m. Tuesday on South Brooks Street between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue; Town Hall and Norse Brewing evacuated; no additional evacuations; shelter in place until further notice; at 4 a.m. Wednesday crews said the leak had been patched and workers were filling the hole; street closed until further notice Wednesday morning; call 911 for a strong gas odor)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  4. Gas line rupture in Wake Forest prompts evacuations, road closure: Officials (CBS 17: construction workers ruptured a line on South Brooks Street between East Owen Avenue and East Wait Avenue; street closed; Town Hall and Norse Brewing evacuated; no additional evacuations; shelter in place; call 911 for a strong gas odor; repair crews patched the leak and began filling the hole; fire department expected the street closed until early Wednesday morning)

    Published by CBS 17 · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

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