Columbia Gas shuts off service for 1,700 in Pennsylvania

Donora, Pa. — Columbia Gas, the company at the center of the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, says it's in the process of shutting off service for approximately 1,700 customers in Pennsylvania. The affected area, Donora, is located less than an hour outside of Pittsburgh.

Update: Columbia Gas has completed shutting off gas service for approximately 1,700 customers in Donora, PA. Service technicians have begun the process of inspecting the system before the relight process begins later this morning. https://t.co/M1uoAiLbzY
— ColumbiaGasPA (@ColumbiaGasPA) January 6, 2019

While the company says that there is no threat to customers, the decision to suspend service was made out of what they call, "an abundance of caution."

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania first announced outages in the area and attempts to restore service just after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, according to their official Twitter page. However, several hours later, the company said they were in the process of shutting down gas service to affected customers.

We are experiencing a gas outage in Donora, PA. Safety is our top priority. Our workers are currently on scene and working to restore service. We appreciate your patience and will continue to post updates as they become available.
— ColumbiaGasPA (@ColumbiaGasPA) January 5, 2019

Update: We are still experiencing a gas outage in Donora, PA. Our crews will continue the process of shutting off gas service to affected customers in Donora throughout the night. Service will be restored as soon as possible. https://t.co/rFUuPHjJj6
— ColumbiaGasPA (@ColumbiaGasPA) January 6, 2019

WPXI Pittsburgh, our sister station, reported that the full restoration of gas service is expected within 24 hours. The original shutdown occurred because a contractor, "introduced air into the system," which led to workers suspending service.

In September, explosions in the Merrimack Valley caused by Columbia Gas forced the evacuation of residents, and resulted in the death of an 18-year-old man.

Cox Media Group