A gas leak caused by demolition work at the former Hartman Bros. building prompted evacuations and power outages affecting several blocks of downtown Montrose on Wednesday afternoon.

According to information from the scene, a demolition crew working at the former Hartman Bros. building on South First Street struck a gas line, resulting in a leak beneath a power line.

As a safety precaution, power was shut off to businesses and properties along the south side of Main Street in at least the 300, 400 and 500 blocks. Businesses on the north side of Main Street were not affected.

According to outage information posted by Delta-Montrose Electric Association, 679 customers were without power Wednesday afternoon. A firefighter said power would be restored when the gas line was shut off.

Firefighters went door to door on the north side of the 500 block of Main Street, evacuating businesses and notifying occupants of the situation.

Emergency crews remained on scene as utility crews worked to address the leak and restore service.

Update: As of 3:30 p.m. power has been restored.