Several homes were evacuated Monday afternoon following the discovery of a gas leak along the 300 block of Whites Road in Lansdale Borough.
Crews were dispatched to the 300 block of Whites Road at 4:26 p.m. on Sept. 18 after several residents reported a strong gas odor in the area. Fairmount Fire Chief Gavin Butler said arriving fire service personnel determined the source of the odor was a leak in an underground gas line that fed into a residential property in the area.
Butler said five homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure, with gas being shut off to four homes to allow PECO to resolve the issue. Electric service was also shut off to the home that was immediately affected by the leak as an added precaution, Butler said.
Whites Road was closed between Towamencin and Susquehanna avenues for approximately four hours, as well as adjacent roads for one block in each direction as crews worked to plug the leak. First responders cleared the scene at 8:30 p.m., though PECO personnel remained on scene to complete repairs.
Butler said the incident and smell was unrelated to the pungent, sewer-like odor that has been emanating from the Whites Road pumping station over the last month. That issue remains under investigation by the Lansdale Public Works Department.
“If you smell natural gas or propane inside your home, evacuate and please call 911 immediately,” Butler said. “Thankfully, this scenario was quickly mitigated, and everyone is safe.”
Fairmount Fire Company was assisted at the scene by units from the Upper Gwynedd Fire Department, as well as fire police from Fairmount, North Penn, and Towamencin fire companies.
See also:
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