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Northbrook Mall Reopened After Evacuation For Possible Gas Leak

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (CBS) -- The cash registers are humming again at the Northbrook Court shopping center, which was shut down for more than an hour Saturday because of a reported gas leak.

Northbrook Police indicated that the mall reopened at about 3:45 p.m., less than 90 minutes after it was ordered closed. No one was hurt.

It was unclear if the search found a gas leak, and if so, what had to be done to cap it.

Eyewitness Jill Hoppe, who works in the mall's Sephora store, said the evacuation was orderly.

"It was really calm," she said. "Everyone went really slowly. Managers of each store were...ready to do what they had to do."

She said Northbrook Court security and mall management went store to store to advise personnel what was afoot after sirens began to sound.

Many shoppers merely retreated to the parking lot and waited out the investigation, Hoppe said.

One person who tweeted WBBM said some of those forced to leave the cinemas in mid-showing were upset.

"Evacuating Northbrook Court. Many disgruntled Apple employees and theater patrons," one person tweeted.

Another wrote, "I'm so used to fire drills at school that when the fire alarm went off in Northbrook Ct. I just casually strolled out while my moms freaking."

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