A gas meter on the back of a building at 1012 First Ave. N. was the source of the problem, which ultimately impacted nearly 1.500 electricity customers for about an hour.

That gas meter faces an alley on the north side of the building. It was struck by a vehicle that left the scene.

The Fire Department was called at 2:21 p.m. because of the gas leak. Firefighters evacuated three buildings. They also determined that natural gas was seeping into the basements of two buildings.

MidAmerican Energy crews shut off both the gas and the electricity.

“Initially, we had to de-enegrize a circuit that affected 1,460 customers,” said Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for MidAmerican Energy.

He said the electricity was shut off at 2:35 p.m. and was restored for all but four customers at 3:25 p.m.

The electrical outage shut down traffic lights on busy North 15th Street, prompting police officers to direct traffic at a couple of intersections. City public works crews then placed portable stop signs at the intersections to control traffic.

Firefighters were on the scene until about 4:15 p.m.