BOUNTIFUL, Utah - A Bountiful mail carrier is being praised by the customers on his route after alerting Questar to a natural gas leak in his delivery neighborhood.
Sean Anderson was delivering mail on January 7 when he smelled gas at one of the homes. He called to report it and continued on his way. When he circled back around, he found the cracked pipe had forced the evacuation of three homes, and crews had to dig a massive hole to replace the pipe.
“I just did what I thought anyone would do,” Anderson said. “It’s what I figure was the right thing.”
Questar Gas spokesperson Darren Shepherd said it was the right thing. They’re grateful Anderson took the initiative to report the problem, which they say turned out to be relatively minor. Shepherd said they hope anyone would do the same thing.
“No one wants to have a gas leak. We want the gas to come into your home," Shepherd said. “Anytime someone suspects there’s a gas leak because they smell an odd odor, call Questar Gas.”
Homeowner Dave Lindsey said he’s grateful that Anderson did make the call, and he went to the post office personally to thank Anderson. Anderson said he was just looking out for his neighborhood.
“I don’t live in this area, but these are my neighbors,” Anderson said. “I did 11 years in the Air Force, and one thing I can’t do is let something that might be a problem go.”
Neighbors say the experience has given them a new-found appreciation for a man they didn’t even know.
“It’s something that’s not part of his job,” said evacuated neighbor Alex Paul. “But definitely reassuring to know that someone’s out here looking out for us.”
The rotten egg smell of natural gas is added by Questar to help people recognize a leak. You can report gas leaks to Questar by calling 1-800-767-1689. Crews will come to check for a leak. In case of an emergency, call 911.
