(Spirit Lake)– Some observant neighbors in the Arthur Heights area averted what may have had the potential to be a tragedy Wednesday evening.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says firefighters were called to the Arthur Heights area on the east side of East Lake Okoboji shortly after 6:00 p.m. on a report of a strong smell of propane. By using gas detection equipment, Jorgenson says firefighters determined the gas was coming out of a tile line around a house. He says crews shut off the gas and the owners of the house, who were gone at the time, were contacted. They arrived a short time later and checked out the house, which was found to be alright.
Jorgenson says it’s fortunate the problem was discovered when it was or it could have been a much more serious situation.
Spirit Lake firefighters were on the scene about an hour.
Jorgenson says he had another call from police dispatchers around Midnight. He says some people doing some work in the Edward Jones building at the corner of Highways nine and 71 and Hill Avenue reported smelling something hot. Jorgenson says he checked the building with a thermal imager but couldn’t find anything after about 20 minutes or so of looking. He says crews working in the building will continue to look for anything out of the ordinary.
