Gas pipe problems seem pervasive.

Several buildings near Lake Merritt in Oakland were evacuated Thursday afternoon, thanks to a gas pipeline break.

The break occurred around 1:30 p.m. across from the Merritt Bakery, the Oakland Tribune reported. There has been no explosion or fire, but several streets in the area have been shut temporarily. Impacted streets include parts of East 18th Street, Athol Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The break was caused by a private construction company, which cut through a four-inch gas pipe, after mistaking it for a phone line.

In other gas leak news, the suspected gas leak this morning at a San Bruno elementary school turned out to be a false alarm. An odor coming out of Portola Elementary School’s heating system sparked the scare. “A smell came from the HVAC [heating] system,” a PG&E spokesperson told KTVU, "but it is not dangerous.”