We were lucky yesterday morning. Workers digging a hole behind Bennett’s Department Store struck a natural gas line, causing a leak. The odor of natural gas could be detected around downtown shortly after the incident.

It could have been a potentially explosive situation, but thanks to our emergency workers, the dangerous situation was averted. First, emergency workers shut down the roads surrounding the affected area. Then, they evacuated the businesses in that area, and that was a lot of people.

The area was cleared of people while Alagasco workers repaired the leak. No one was injured, and there were no explosions or fires. This is one time where no news is good news.

This is obviously not the first time this has ever happened, and we doubt it will be the last. It’s good to know we have such well-trained officers.