Fort Worth residents on edge after another gas leak scare in Downtown
FORT WORTH — The second gas leak in just a matter of weeks.
Another gas leak scare happened Friday afternoon in Downtown Fort Worth, just blocks away from the Sandman Hotel, where a gas explosion happened on January 8th. The Fort Worth Fire Department says the second leak did not result in an explosion however the incident has put Forth Worth residents on edge.
Fort Worth Fire tells CBS News Texas Atmos crews had been working on a scheduled gas pipe replacement project for the last couple days. Investigators say Atmos detected a gas leak around 12:40 p.m. Friday. That's when emergency crews and Hazmat crews rushed to block off the area.
The fire department says people nearby and in surrounding buildings left on their own.
"People were already self-evacuating when we arrived on scene. But we never made the call out for anybody to need to evacuate," says Craig Trojacek with Fort Worth Fire.
One person told CBS News Texas, he and other people described a strong gas smell in one of the nearby high rises. However, Fort Worth Fire says crews didn't smell gas in the buildings by the time they arrived.
Investigators haven't said what caused the leak but say it was fixed within the hour and the area is now safe.
CBS News Texas reached out to Atmos and has not received a response as of Friday night.
Trojacek says, there are huge differences between Friday's gas leak and the Sandman Hotel explosion, and that the two incidents are not connected.
"So typically when we have an incident that's outdoors like this and with the wind, it's not too concerning but just coming off everything that's happened here last week everybody's on edge and rightfully so," says Trojacek.
CBS News Texas asked the fire department if these leaks are part of a bigger problem with infrastructure in Downtown Fort Worth.
Trojacek says, the city is safe, and that leaks like the one that happened Friday are very common and not a risk.