Swissvale Fire Chief: No Gas Detected on Monongahela Ave.

What started as a report of a turned out to be a false alarm, according to Swissvale Fire Chief Clyde Wilhelm.

Crews were called around 1 p.m. Wednesday after multiple businesses reported the smell of gas on Monongahela Avenue in Swissvale. The senior center, located in the basement of the , reported the smell along with other workers along the street.

But when the Edgewood, Forest Hills and Swissvale fire departments took readings in all of the businesses for explosive natural gas, the measurements came out at zero.

“We had strong odors but no gas readings,” Wilhelm said. “We ventilated all of the structures, notified the gas companies and closed the structures again to see if the odor appeared, because that would mean a leak was still present. It was not present after that.”

Four blocks of Monongahela Avenue were closed Wednesday afternoon as crews investigated.

Wilhelm said that while natural gas cannot be detected by smell and actually has no odor, another colorless gas with a strong odor called mercaptan is added to it to ensure that leaks can be detected.

Wilhelm said many trucks that carry well water, wastewater, or another substance may have been driving along Braddock Avenue. Shortly after, crews got a similar call from Braddock of a report of the smell of gas.

“It led us to believe that there was a truck powered by a liquefied natural gas or a tanker carrying mercaptan,” Wilhelm said.

With a senior high rise living center in the neighborhood along with multiple businesses and homes, Wilhelm said the crews had to take extra precaution in the event a gas leak had occurred.

“It was an uneventful day,” he said. “Just like having a drill.”

Wilhelm said crews cleared the scene after about 45 minutes.