Authorities evacuated more than a half dozen homes Tuesday morning after a portion of the road collapsed on East Fifth Street in Albert Lea, causing a gas leak.

No one was injured.

John Lenze, who lives at 624 E. Fifth St., said just after 10 a.m. he saw a Waste Management garbage truck driving down the street. He heard a loud noise and saw the back of the truck go up as the road collapsed under its back tires in front of his home.

“There was a big boom when the truck hit it, and I smelled gas,” Lenze said. “That’s when I called 911.”

The hole was estimated to be about 10 feet by 8 feet and was 5 or 6 feet deep, said Albert Lea City Engineer Steven Jahnke. The collapsed concrete broke a gas line.

Jahnke said the truck went into the hole one or two feet before its driver was able to pull the vehicle out. The truck sustained severe damage.

The Albert Lea Police Department, Albert Lea Fire Department and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office responded, going door to door of homes nearby.

City workers and Alliant Energy workers also responded, stopping the gas leak.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 30 minutes later.

Lenze said he called city officials about a week ago because it appeared that part of the road was sinking.

City Manager Chad Adams said city staff were aware of the report and went in and televised the sanitary sewer underneath. At that point, staff didn’t see anything that would have triggered the collapse.

Jahnke said after workers dug out the hole Tuesday, they determined the sanitary sewer service to the adjacent home was broken and that material had gone into the sanitary service, creating a void under the concrete.

He said Alliant Energy repaired the gas line and workers also repaired the sanitary sewer and water service lines.

The hole was filled later Tuesday afternoon with what appeared to be dirt.

Adams said the segment of the road that collapsed is not in the city’s capital improvement plan in the next five years.