Columbia Gas said Thursday, Oct. 10, that the investigation continues into the cause of numerous gas leaks reported Wednesday in the Fox Run neighborhood of Cranberry Township.

Nearly 40 calls for the smell of natural gas were reported in the area Wednesday, which resulted in the company shutting off the gas to homes that made the reports.

Lee Gierczynski, spokesman for Columbia Gas, said there were no clear issues in Fox Run that led to the widespread gas issues.

“There were no operational issues, no pressure issues, no hit lines or anything like that that would have caused the odor,” Gierczynski said Thursday morning. “Everything seems to be back to normal. The investigation into the source continues.”

While the gas company is still looking into the cause of the leaks, Gierczynski said Columbia Gas believes that higher than typical odorant levels were introduced into the system as the company was preparing for winter operations. The company was reestablishing service from a gas main that had been idle while a supplier completed work on its facilities, according to Gierczynski.

Calls came in to 911 at an accelerated rate Wednesday, and several fire departments were called to help deal with the gas leaks.

According to Scott Garing, chief of Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, seven fire departments responded to calls for gas leaks throughout the afternoon and into the night Wednesday. Many departments were needed, Garing said, because each report of natural gas had to be investigated separately.

“At about 3 o’clock, we got called for gas in a residence. By the time we were ready to leave there, we got a second, then a third, fourth and fifth,” Garing said. “Every residence had to be treated like its own incident, because the gas was trapped in there, an explosion hazard and a medical factor.”

The departments ended up running 104 calls for gas leak investigations, and Garing said his crew wasn’t finished with them until around 11 p.m. The fire departments and Columbia worked together to investigate odors and shut off gas where necessary. Although numerous people reported gas leaks, Garing said no one had to be transported for treatment by Cranberry Township EMS, which was on standby throughout.

Service technicians from Columbia conducted safety checks at all homes that reported an odor of gas, and in some cases, identified safety issues like small leaks on customer-owned service lines and gas appliances, according to Gierczynski.

Garing and Gierczynski each said people should evacuate immediately if they begin to smell a gas leak, characterized by a sulfuric scent. Gierczynski said customers should dial 911, then call Columbia’s emergency number at 1-888-460-4332 to report a gas leak.

Fire companies from Cranberry Township, Adams Area Fire District, Harmony Fire District, Callery, Marshall Township, Wexford and New Sewickley Fire District responded to calls for gas leaks Wednesday. Cranberry Township EMS was also on standby in the area around Fox Run.