A large natural gas leak caused by a car crash early Thursday led to evacuations and road closures near Alexandria.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the gas leak was along County Road 42 on the northwest shore of Lake Le Homme Dieu, a few miles north of Alexandria.

The gas leak was stopped by late morning, but the incident also cut natural gas service to homes and businesses in the area on a frigid morning. CenterPoint Energy said its crews were working to restore service to about 525 customers in the area.

The utility urged affected customers to make plans to stay safe and warm through the day and possibly overnight. The company said its efforts to restore gas service could continue into Friday.

Julie Anderson, emergency management officer for Douglas County, said the Carlos C

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