(Spirit Lake)– What was described by some as a strong smell of natural gas caused a bit of excitement early this (Monday) afternoon in downtown Spirit Lake.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief David Kollasch tells KUOO news firefighters were called to the area of 16th street and Hill Avenue shortly after 1:00 p.m. Kollasch says a problem with a regulator in a valve station caused some gas to leak from it.
The Spirit Lake Fire Department was called as a precaution and some streets in the area were briefly cordoned off, but there were no evacuations.
Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Ehret says detection equipment showed gas levels to be well below those considered dangerous.
Officials with Black Hills Energy arrived a short time later and fixed the problem. Firefighters were then allowed to return to the station after spending about a half-hour on the scene.
