Oct. 30--Updated: 11:52 a.m.

BELLEVILLE -- A gas line leak forced emergency workers in Belleville to shut down West Main Street and evacuate area residents this morning.

Belleville Fire Chief Scott Langston said that the rain and soggy soil caused wall to collapse around 9:30 a.m, that sheared a natural gas line.

Emergency crews started evacuating residents and businesses across a six block span. But, by 10:51 a.m., everybody was allowed to return to their homes and businesses. About 20 homes were evacuated, Langston said.

All but one westbound lane of West Main Street also were reopened shortly before 11 a.m.

No one was injured.

Ameren sent out workers, who at 9:35 a.m. asked for help from the Belleville Fire Department. The leak is in the 9800 block of West Main Street.

Gas workers were still working on the gas line at 11:20 a.m.

Meanwhile, a crash this morning in St. Clair County -- apparently from the wet weather -- had emergency workers scrambling to get an injured person up a soggy slope.

The crash happened at the intersection of Route 13 and Route 15, on the western side of Belleville, about 9 a.m. The vehicle left the road and went down an embankment.

Emergency medical workers called for help after they could not get an injured person back up the slippery slope.

No word on the condition of the injured or what caused the crash.

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