Natural gas release stinks up metro cities

CenterPoint Energy received numerous calls just after 10 a.m. today reporting the smell of natural gas originating in Andover.

Rebecca Virden, a company spokeswoman, said the release – which triggered an emergency response plan – was the result of crews performing preventative maintenance and repair at an Andover station.

An earlier version of this story reported the smell was also detected in Oakdale -- a report Virden said was miscommunicated due to "confusing" Twitter posts. She said follow-up calls with company workers revealed no reports from Oakdale.

Virden said 15 service technicians were deployed throughout the cities in response to the calls to verify the odor source and to ensure the areas were safe. The public's safety was not in jeopardy as a result of the incident, she said.

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