Residents from nearly 30 homes in Mississauga will be spending the night somewhere else because of a large and potentially dangerous gas leak.

Mississauga Fire said Monday evening that 27 homes have been evacuated as a precaution due to a natural gas leak in the area of Blythe Road and Glatts Lane and that affected residents will be out of their homes overnight.

Crews have been on scene trying to resolve the issue since around 12:15 p.m. this afternoon after construction workers struck a 20-inch gas main.

“It is a very large vein with possibly 175 to about 200 pounds per square inch being pushed behind it so there's a lot of pressure there and exactly that, it does sound like a loud jet engine. So that's why we're asking people to stay away from the area,” Mississauga Fire Platoon Chief Luigi Davoli told reporters.

He said Enbridge is working to repair the main, but it is “complicated” and “potentially dangerous.”

“I'll say in my 43 years on the job, this is the loudest one I've been around as well,” Davoli said.

He said the large perimeter around the leak is necessary as a precaution in case the gas were to ignite.

Enbridge said they are working closely with Mississauga Fire to monitor the situation.

“We're working closely with @MississaugaFES and will continue to monitor the situation overnight with repairs expected to begin tomorrow,” the company said in a tweet.

A command post has been set up at Blythe Road and Doulton Drive for any residents who may need assistance.

In a tweet, Mississauga Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi encouraged affected residents to contact their home insurance companies to see if a hotel stay might be covered or to contact Mississauga Fire’s non-emergency line at 905-456-5700 to organize accommodation through the Canadian Red Cross.

Peel police are advising people to avoid the area.

No injuries have been reported.

It is currently estimated that the leak will be sealed sometime between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“This large of an incident is very uncommon for us,”Davoli said. “We do have a lot of people who dig around their home and do some work in like the small residential lines, and this is why we also want to reinforce, if you're going to be doing a digging around your home, call first.”