Canandaigua, NY – Emergency crews in the city of Canandaigua were at the right place at the right time late Tuesday morning.
At approximately 11:50 a.m., while personnel were tending to a minor fender-bender outside the residence at 564 S. Main St., a person inside the home came outside to report a potential natural gas leak to a Canandaigua city police officer.
“We geared up for a gas leak, went in to monitor the situation and found one,” said Captain Don Phillips of the Canandaigua Fire Department.
The New York State Electric and Gas Corporation responded to the scene, and the situation was brought under control.
“Every now and then, all the ducks line up in a row and we are in the right place at the right time,” Phillips said.
The fire captain stressed that if anybody thinks they smell gas, they should call 911 immediately and evacuate the home. Natural gas leak dangers including potential explosions.
“All you have to find is an ignition source and depending on the gas levels, whether it’s in the explosive levels of the gas an area where the gas is not too lean, and the gas is not too rich, but just right and if you are in that ignition source, it could cause an explosion,” Phillips said.
He noted that natural gas is naturally odorless and colorless, so in order to make it detectable, a chemical called Mercaptan is added to it to create the noticeable odor that accompanies a gas leak.
“It’s that stinky, rotten-eggs odor,” Phillips said.”People usually smell that long before there is an incident.”
No serious injuries were reported as a result of the two-car crash outside the home.