Car accident in Grant causes gas leak, evacuation

A rollover accident in the city of Grant last night prompted an early morning evacuation of homes nearby because of a gas leak.

Washington County authorities say a driver crossed a rural road and hit a large gas pipeline beside the road just before midnight. The crash started a large fire that could be seen for more than a mile, according to sheriff's deputy Mike Benson.

Mahtomedi fire crews went door to door and evacuated homes within a mile radius because of the leaking gas. Authorities said the evacuation wasn't mandatory, but that a number of people made arrangements to spend the night out of the area.

Crews from Xcel Energy and Comcast were still on the scene near dawn, repairing the damage. The driver of the car suffered minor injuries and the cause of the crash is under investigation.