Thousands of Columbia Gas customers in Beaver County expected to be without gas for days

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Columbia Gas crews have been working around the clock, turning off gas service to more than 4,000 customers in Conway, Economy, Baden and Freedom.

“This morning when I woke up, the house was at 63 degrees, so I knew they turned the gas off,” said David Catanzarite, one of the impacted customers.

He first noticed an issue with the gas at his house Sunday morning.

“We were cooking breakfast and my daughter who was staying with us couldn’t cook the eggs,” Catanzarite said. “She asked me what was going on and I couldn’t light the burner even though I was getting pressure. I knew something was wrong.”

A technician told him the gas in his line was only 25% methane. It should have been 100%.

Lee Gierczynski, a spokesperson with Columbia Gas, said they are investigating what caused that to happen with that gas, which is fed into the system by a third party.

“One thing we’re looking at is perhaps air got into the system. When air gets into the system, that could create a low gas or no gas situation for a customer which could create an unsafe situation for them,” Gierczynski told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.

Those customers without gas service could be without gas for the next few days. That includes the Ambridge Middle School in Economy. They were closed Monday as the building’s gas was turned off. Students participated in virtual learning.

“The situation is safe for customers,” Gierczynski said. “We just ask for their patience. We apologize for the inconvenience. We know how troubling this can be for customers, but we ask for their patience as we work through this process.”

Columbia Gas, the Red Cross and local municipalities worked together to open the Conway Municipal Building as a warming shelter. For seniors and others who need other assistance, Columbia Gas will work with them on a case-by-case basis.

“I know it’s a huge inconvenience for everyone, and this afternoon I hope to talk to them to see what else they can do for our community and the other communities affected for that matter,” said Economy Borough Mayor Jo Ann Borato.

Catanzarite said he has a fireplace and space heaters if needed and has a nearby relative’s home to take a shower. He worries for those who don’t have those options but said he’s glad this happened now and not in the winter.

“It could have been 0 degrees out, so I’m very thankful that this happened now,” Catanzarite said. “Could have been a lot worse.”

Workers are expected to go door-to-door to perform safety checks and relight natural gas appliances once services are restored. Columbia Gas said those workers will have a company badge with their photo on it.

As crews bring gas service back online for those impacted customers, they will go door-to-door to do safety checks and re-light gas appliances.

If people are not home when the worker arrives, they will leave a door hanger with a phone number that can be called.

Customers are also asked to keep their porch light on until gas service is restored to their home.

The incident was not believed to be intentional and Columbia Gas said the shutdown is being done out of an abundance of caution.

Click here for a full list of streets affected.

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