Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
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ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Eleven homes were evacuated Sunday morning after residents reported a gas odor near N. 10th and Oak streets, Allentown fire officials said.
City firefighters were called to the intersection shortly before 9 a.m. and began evacuating nearby homes, said Deputy Chief Robert Scheirer.
Ten homes were along the east and west sides of N. Tenth Street and the eleventh was on Oak Street, Scheirer said. The 200 block of N. Tenth Street, between Turner and Chew streets, was closed for several hours.
Using a backhoe, a crew from the gas utility, UGI, dug near a manhole cover in the center of the intersection to access the area where the leak was detected. Natural gas is colorless and odorless, but companies, including UGI, add a rotten egg odor to the gas to make leaks more obvious.
Cyndy Shaffner, of 221 N. 10th St., found out about the problem when she heard firefighters knock on a neighbor’s door shortly after 9 a.m.
“They told me to dress warmly and to stand outside,” said Shaffner. When it became clear the leak would take some time to repair, firefighters suggested Shaffner seek shelter. She used a neighbor’s phone to contact her brother, who was picking her up, she said.
The leak also affected residents who were not evacuated. Blanca Caceres, of 207 N. 10th St., moved her car, parked in the 200 block of N. 10th, to a private parking lot.
“I hope nothing blows up,” she said as she returned to her home.
Most evacuated residents found shelter with friends or family. A temporary shelter in the Central Elementary School cafeteria, two blocks east of the gas leak, had only three evacuees by noon Sunday.
“We were told there might be as many as 30 people, but I doubt we’ll see that many,” said Matt Van Allen, a city paramedic at the shelter.
Work to repair the leak was completed around 2 p.m.