Firefighters on Monday night responded to a reported gas leak on Main Street, officials say.
At about 9:08 p.m. on Aug. 12, members of the New Canaan Fire Department traveled to the area of Down River Road, where officials from the utility company were already on scene working to control the leak, according to Fire Marshal Fred Baker.
NCFD members monitored the area and the leak was abated at about 9:45 p.m., he said in a press release.
No evacuations were necessary as Eversource stayed on scene to make repairs, Baker said.
Natural gas “is lighter than air and rises harmlessly to the atmosphere when released,” Baker said.
“The New Canaan Fire Department reminds residents to all 911 if they smell gas.”
Eversource has been installing a natural gas line through parts of New Canaan since last year, and currently is running a main into the downtown.
For further information regarding gas safety or any fire safety questions please contact the New Canaan Fire Marshal’s Office at 203-594-3030.
Grateful that NCFD and others were on this so quickly, as natural gas leaks are destructive. Natural gas leaks add methane to the atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas that’s 25x more potent than carbon dioxide and exacerbates climate change, the consequences of which are vast and serious.
I would like to qualify Fire Marshal Baker’s statement that natural gas rises “harmlessly” into the atmosphere. Natural gas does rise in the atmosphere, but it contains methane which is a greenhouse gas and therefore contributes to global warming.