What Should I Do First If I Smell Gas?

If you smell gas right now, stop reading and leave the building. Take everyone with you, including pets. Once you're a safe distance away, call 911 and Atmos Energy at 866-322-8667. Everything else can wait until you're outside.

So what should I do first if I smell gas? Leave first, then call. That order matters more than anything else on this page. The same phone that reaches 911 can set off a spark indoors, so make the call from outside.

The rest of this guide covers the steps in order, and the things you should never do. We'll explain who to call and why both numbers matter. You'll also see how to spot a leak when you can't smell one. Finally, we'll cover who handles gas line repair in a Fort Worth home once the danger has passed.

Leave the building immediately. That's the first step, before anything else.

• Get everyone out, including pets, and warn anyone nearby.
• Leave doors open as you go, and don't stop to gather belongings.
• Move a safe distance away, well down the street.
• Call 911 and Atmos Energy at 866-322-8667 from that safe distance.
• Stay out until responders say it's safe to go back in.

Don't switch lights on or off, use your phone inside, start a car in the garage, or try to find the leak. Don't try to shut off a gas valve. Atmos sends a technician to investigate at no cost, so call even if you're unsure.

Once the utility clears your home, we handle gas line repair in Fort Worth.

If you smell gas

1. Leave immediately. Don't stop to investigate, pack, or check appliances.
2. Take everyone with you. That includes pets. Warn neighbors on your way out.
3. Leave doors open behind you as you go.
4. Get well away from the building. Down the street, not just outside the door.
5. Call 911 and Atmos Energy at 866-322-8667 from that safe distance.
6. Stay out until responders tell you it's safe to go back in.

Call both numbers, and don't assume someone else already reported it. Atmos sends a trained technician immediately to investigate, at no cost to you.

That last part matters. Nobody should stay in a building weighing whether the smell is worth a phone call.

You may notice the advice seems to contradict itself. You're told not to use a phone near a leak, and also to call 911. Both are right, and the order resolves it. Leave the building, get down the street, then make the call.

The list of things not to do matters as much as the steps themselves. Almost all of them come down to one idea: don't create a spark, and don't stay inside.

None of this means panic. It means leave the building, then call from a safe distance. The steps are simple on purpose, because they have to work when you're rattled.

Two numbers, two different jobs. Call both, from a safe distance.

Who does what: 911 brings the fire department. They handle the immediate danger to people and the building. Atmos Energy, 866-322-8667, is the 24-hour gas emergency line. Atmos operates the gas system serving the area. A plumber is not your first call. Repair work comes later, after the scene is safe.

Atmos sends a technician to investigate at no cost. That's worth repeating, because cost is the reason people talk themselves out of calling.

We say this plainly because it matters more than getting your business. Call 911 and Atmos first. We'll be here afterward.

Natural gas has no smell of its own. An odorant is added so leaks are easy to notice, which is why gas smells like rotten eggs or a skunk.

Don't rely on smell alone, though. Some people can't detect it, and a strong leak can dull your sense of smell. Atmos recommends using three senses:

• Smell. The rotten egg or skunk-like odor.
• Listen. Hissing or whistling near a gas appliance, or a roaring sound near a pipeline.
• Look. Blowing dust, bubbling water, or dead vegetation near a gas line.

Your body can warn you too. Breathing high concentrations of natural gas can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, or even loss of consciousness.

Home methane detectors are available as well. The National Fire Protection Association publishes NFPA 715, the standard covering fuel gas detectors in homes and buildings.