Suspected Gas Leak Draws Large Rescue Attention

The smell of gas at 706 Lefferts Avenue, the apartment building on the corner of Lefferts and Troy Avenues, brought a virtual army of emergency vehicles to the scene around 11:30 Tuesday night, as police and fire department units searched for a possible gas leak. The normally quiet street was clogged with fire trucks and vehicles from the police department’s Emergency Services Unit (ESU), whose personnel braved bitter cold to get the job done.

According to Sergeant DeCardio of the ESU, the leak was emanating from an apartment that seemed empty, and the fire department shut off the gas to prevent explosion. The massive emergency response was standard procedure, he explained, because “you don’t play around with gas.”

The numerous police and fire units were able to leave when the gas company, Keyspan, arrived and undertook repairs. Yet they were back just twenty minutes later, this time with a helicopter as well—only to leave again after about ten minutes.