HOUSTON – A strong smell of natural gas reported across parts of the Houston area Thursday afternoon triggered multiple emergency responses, including a temporary evacuation at Lone Star College-Houston North Fallbrook campus, according to officials.
Residents in areas including Tomball, Channelview, Cypress, Spring, Kingwood, east Houston, and northwest Harris County reported smelling gas throughout the day, prompting a surge of calls to emergency dispatchers and local fire departments.
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CenterPoint Energy addressed the situation Thursday evening, saying the odor being reported near Channelview is not connected to any confirmed damage or major issue involving its natural gas system.
“The safety of our customers and communities is our highest priority,” CenterPoint said in a statement. “The odor being reported near Channelview is not related to any damage to CenterPoint’s natural gas pipelines, and no major issues on our system have been detected at this time.”
The company added that crews continue responding to and investigating reported leak calls tied to the odor.
Earlier in the day, officials in Tomball told KPRC 2 that dispatch channels were “blowing up” with calls from residents concerned about the smell.
Some emergency officials initially indicated information they received suggested the odor may have been drifting from the Interstate 45 corridor.
In east Harris County, the Channelview Fire Department confirmed it was actively investigating reports of the odor in the area.
The smell also prompted emergency action at Lone Star College-Houston North Fallbrook campus.
In a Facebook post, the Lone Star College Police Department instructed people on campus to evacuate immediately.
About 30 minutes later, officials issued an all-clear notice, saying the campus was safe and normal operations could resume.
CenterPoint is urging anyone who smells natural gas to leave the area immediately on foot and report the possible leak once safely away.
CenterPoint Energy full statement:
“The safety of our customers and communities is our highest priority. The odor being reported near Channelview is not related to any damage to CenterPoint’s natural gas pipelines, and no major issues on our system have been detected at this time. We continue investigating all suspected leak calls we are receiving associated with this odor.
If you smell natural gas, leave immediately on foot. Once you are safely away from the area, report the possible natural gas leak to CenterPoint at 713-659-2111 or 800-752-8036."