AUBURN – Firefighters and police evacuated buildings on two streets Saturday morning when they discovered an apartment building filled with gas.

Firefighters were called to 19 James St. at 8:53 a.m. for a gas dryer on fire in the basement.

When they arrived, they extinguished the fire, “but a gas line to the dryer was broken. The house was full of gas,” said Auburn Firefighter Platoon Chief Richard McFadden Jr. “You can smell it. It has a distinctive order.”

Luckily, no one was hurt. But the situation was potentially deadly and very scary, he said.

“We’re very concerned when we get gas” in a building, McFadden said, recalling how years ago buildings “disintegrated” from gas leaks.

Firefighters and police immediately evacuated that building and buildings on both sides of James and Goff streets. About eight buildings from Court Street to Charles Street were emptied.

Police knocked on doors, instructing people to leave immediately because of a gas leak, said Auburn Police Department Lt. Gary Boulet. “There were quite a few people standing out there in their bare feet,” McFadden said.

Firefighters cut the gas feed on the house, had electrical power to the building cut and called Northern Utilities. Firefighters began ventilating 19 James St. by opening windows and doors and carefully pumping air into the building. It has to be done just right, McFadden said, or it can explode.

Northern Utilities and Central Maine Power crews came and worked on the gas and power lines.

Later in the day, the evacuees were allowed to return to their homes, McFadden said.

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