A gas leak at a Leesburg shopping center today left tenants of the buildings evacuated for at least four hours as fire and rescue worked to clear the scene.

At about 7:40 a.m. dispatchers began receiving calls from tenants who said they smelled gas coming from the Bellwood Commons Shopping Center at 510 Principal Drummond Way, just off of Route 7.

Firefighters arrived on scene five minutes later and found a gas leak coming from a two-inch gas main, according to Laura Rinehart, spokesperson for Loudoun Fire and Rescue.

No injuries were reported, Rinehart said, and firefighters were able to check and ventilate all the businesses of any gas or hazardous materials before securing the scene.

The scene was turned over to Washington Gas for further investigation at 11:45 a.m.

Rinehart said the gas leak did cause some traffic backups as people passed by the scene to go to work. It also caused dispatchers to get bombarded with calls from worried motorists, she said.

She encouraged residents to sign up for Loudoun Alerts to stay up-to-date on any emergency-related incidents in the county. You can sign up for this free service at alert.loudoun.gov.