MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. — A major crisis was prevented after a gas leak at a Mount Pleasant home improvement store on Wednesday, officials say.
Emergency crews were called to Renovation Nation around 11:23 a.m., a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor says.
Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Paul Harenchal says part of the building’s floor collapsed Tuesday around closing time, roughly 10 p.m., damaging a gas line underneath.
When workers returned the next day, they smelled gas and alerted first responders.
The gas company responded and shut off service.
Channel 11 crews saw fire crews ventilating the building.
Harenchal says the leak had been going for hours, filling most of the building. Had the gas ignited, it could’ve caused grave damage to the building and the surrounding area.
Firefighters had an evacuation plan in case of an emergency.
The business will remain closed until the building is safe, Harenchal says.
Dee Ankney of Renovation Nation says her mother, Debbie Ankney, smelled the gas when she returned to the store Wednesday.
Part of the concrete floor collapsed over a gas line to an old furnace that had previously been removed, Dee Ankney says.
The collapse looks like a sinkhole and damaged some goods. Ankney says she’s unsure of the next steps after this incident, but she’s glad her mother is safe.
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