Emergency Action
A gas leak is usually recognized by smell, sight or sound:
- Smell: Natural gas is colorless and odorless, so a distinct and recognizable odorant is added to natural gas so people detect and recognize it quickly.
- Sight: A dust cloud, mist, fog, bubbles in standing water or vegetation that appears to be dead or dying for no apparent reason.
- Sound: An unusual noise such as roaring, hissing or whistling.
What to do if you suspect a leak:
- Move to a safe location.
- Call from a safe location local emergency responders at 911 and MDU at 800-MDU-FAST (800-638-3278). Give them your name, phone number, description of the leak and its location.
- Do not strike a match, use telephones in the area of the leak, operate engines and motors, and light switches or turn appliances on or off.
- Do not turn on a flashlight in the area where you smell gas. These items can produce sparks that might ignite the gas and cause an explosion.
- Do not attempt to extinguish any pipeline fire that may start.
- Do not attempt to operate pipeline valves, leave this to the pipeline operator