On Tuesday evening the Vigilance Hose Fire Co. #1 received numerous reports of a strong smell of gas in the southeast area of the Borough. Crews divided to answer the many calls for service which ranged from concern of the unknown smell to one instance of reported symptoms possibly associated with exposure to the odor. Engine 5012 crew assisted with ventilation of one residence on Belvidere Street while Chief Officers and other apparatus continued to check other locations on S. Main St., Evergreen St., Center St, S. Cedar and also look for possible source of the odor. Additional assistance was provided by Bethlehem Township Fire Company EMS for medical evaluations. Lower Nazareth Township fire Department also responded to calls for "odor of gas" and checked for possible sources in their coverage area. They also were unable to locate any source for the odor.

Ultimately, no official source of the leak was discovered and the odor naturally dissipated without serious incident. When these incidents occur, we encourage residents to either call 911, or the Northampton County Communications Center non-emergency number at 610-759-2200 so we can investigate and/or notify the appropriate utility to handle the issue.