The Rochester Area Builders office has received reports of gas lines being tampered with on homes under construction in Rochester. The lines are being damaged at the point where they enter a home, in such a way that it causes gas to leak continuously into the home. If the tampering is not noticed, there is the potential for the home to fill with natural gas. The vandals do not even need to gain access to the home to do this. It has reportedly occurred to several homes in NE Rochester in recent days, and it is certainly a possibility that it is more widespread than that.
We urge all builders and their sub contractors to take extra care when approaching a building site. If you smell any gas at the site (smells like rotten eggs) or notice damage to the gas meter, Minnesota Energy Resources urges you to:
A home filled with natural gas is a very dangerous situation. Please be alert.
