Police are investigating the theft of copper piping that caused a gas leak in a vacant house in the area of 1st Street and Royal Avenue Sunday afternoon, disrupting traffic in the area.
The New Westminster Police Department was called to the area at around 1:15 p.m. to help with traffic control while Fortis B.C. and the New West Fire Department worked on a gas leak at a house set for demolition.
Upon further inspection, police found that someone appears to have broken into the vacant house and stole copper piping, resulting in a gas leak in the house, said police spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Scott.
“Thankfully, no one was injured as a result, and the gas levels were not high enough to cause an explosion,” Scott said. “Authorities take these kinds of calls very seriously, and we are thankful that this matter ended safely.”
Police encourage anyone who smells a gas leak to follow a Fortis B.C. guideline at https://www.fortisbc.com/safety-outages/natural-gas-safety/gas-leaks-and-odour.
Officers are still investigating the theft of the copper piping, Scott said.
