A propane leak in Barre has forced the evacuation of the city’s polling place at the Barre Auditorium.
Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon says the leak was found earlier this afternoon on Bugbee Avenue.
"The access area to the civic center is within the potential blast zone if the propane were to ignite," Lauzon says. "So as a precaution we’ve moved the polling place to the Old Labor Hall on Granite Street, about a block away."
Secretary of State Jim Condos ordered the evacuation, and Mayor Lauzon says some people were turned away from the polls as the city searched for an alternative location.
Condos says the fire department ordered that that the electricity be shut off in the neighborhood around the Barre Auditorium. The leak was detected at around 2 p.m.
City Manager Steve Mackenzie says the cause of the leak is still unknown as fire officials continue to check apartments.
Polls in Barre and other cities and towns across the state will remain open until 7 tonight.