The Walmart Supercenter in Durango was evacuated Tuesday afternoon for a gas leak near the southwest corner of the building.

The gas leak was reported shortly before 1 p.m. at 1155 South Camino del Rio. The gas leak was contained about 45 minutes later and the Walmart was expected to reopen Tuesday afternoon, said Michael Krupa, deputy fire chief-operations with the Durango Fire Protection District.

Construction crews working on a remodel of the store apparently hit an underground gas line on the exterior of the building near the auto care center, Krupa said.

“It was then seeping gas up through the soil and into the building,” he said. “So there was an active leak and a smell of gas inside of the building, which prompted the immediate evacuation of Walmart.

The evacuation went smoothly, Krupa said.

“Walmart staff was under full evacuation: They were getting people out of their building, they shut the doors down, and from our opinion it was a very, very smooth evacuation and successful evacuation.”

Other businesses in the shopping center were also evacuated.

shane@durangoherald.com