HASTINGS, Mich. — Consumers Energy said Friday that crews are continuing their efforts to restore natural gas to thousands of customers in Barry County.
Crews had to go door-to-door Thursday to temporarily disconnect natural gas to about 4,500 customers in the Hastings and Nashville areas because of a gas leak.
READ MORE: Consumers: Thousands of customers impacted after natural gas leak
"We are really blessed with all the, you know, with all the electricity and gas and all the modern conveniences we have compared to our forefathers, so I can't really complain too much," Russell DeVries, who lives in the area, told FOX 17 Thursday.
Consumers says crews started to relight customers’ pilot lights Friday with the hope of restoring service to most customers by the end of the weekend.
"Typically, most often when you see a gas leak, it's because someone or something has struck a gas line, like a piece of equipment doing work. We don't know the circumstances here. There's no indication that that happened," Brian Wheeler, a spokesperson for Consumers Energy, explained. "We're committed to making sure we have the safest, most modern natural gas system to most reliably serve our customers."
Here are some things to know about the process of relighting pilot lights Friday:
- Consumers Energy crews will knock on customers’ doors and ask to come in to relight pilot lights for furnaces and appliances inside. NOTE: All workers carry company badges and will show you them gladly if you ask.
- If a customer isn’t there, workers will leave a door tag with instructions on how to contact Consumers to schedule a better time.
- Customers should NOT try to relight their own pilot lights.
- Consumers will first reconnect priority customers, which includes hospitals, nursing homes and public buildings.
"I wasn't expecting it, of course, but things happen," DeVries added. "We basically just hunkered down, got the electric heater out and plugged that in and we've been fine since then."
Crews installed a temporary bypass that will allow Consumers to restore natural gas service to customers before making permanent repairs.
“Consumers Energy would like to thank community members who have been understanding and gracious [Thursday],” Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Natural Gas Operations Christopher Fultz said. “We have been able to follow our plan that will restore heat to these homes and businesses [Thursday], Friday and this weekend, and we are committed to carrying out this job as safely and quickly as possible.”
