Fire Department

An east side household came home to the smell of natural gas early Sunday morning, prompting an emergency call to 911.

Engine Co. 3 responded to N. Sixth Street to investigate. Occupants stood outside with their dog and two cats. They told firefighters they left home a few hours earlier and returned to discover one of their stovetop burners in the “low” position, but the burner was not lit. After turning off the burner, they opened some windows, gathered the pets, and evacuated.

Firefighters entered the home with an air monitor and confirmed there were elevated levels of natural gas near the stove, and there were no other indications of a natural gas leak elsewhere. While firefighters surveyed the rest of the home, natural gas levels in the kitchen dissipated to 0. They confirmed it was safe for the occupants to re-enter.

With no one home to turn on the burner, it’s believed a cat may have gotten onto the stove and somehow bumped the knob. Nobody was injured or became ill as a result of the incident.