CHESANING -- The timing couldn't have been worse.

A natural gas leak forced people out of their homes in Chesaning on the coldest night of the year.

Residents in a 6 block section of the city were told to leave their homes around midnight Monday.

At the time temperatures were near zero.

Fire officials say the leak started when a regulator malfunctioned at a Consumers Energy substation on Lansing Street.

Residents say they heard a loud hissing sound and could smell the gas.

A Chesaning firefighter says 26 people took temporary shelter in the fire department, while Consumers Energy crews worked to repair the leak.

About 2 hours after it started, the leak was fixed and residents were allowed to go back to their homes.

No one was injured. It's unclear what caused the valve to break.