Just before 11 a.m. today, the Cherokee Corners Shopping area in west Centre was evacuated due to an apparent gas leak. The employees of World Finance began to smell gas and notified Central Dispatch. The Centre Fire Department responded and then called for all the adjacent buildings to be evacuated until the gas company could check the situation. The Cherokee Electric Cooperative turned off the service to the shopping area until all was cleared. At 11:21, the Fire Department notified Central Dispatch all was clear and the employees of the 9 different businesses were allowed to go back inside.