Leave the building immediately — do not touch any switch, appliance, or phone on the way out. Once outside and away from the house, call New Mexico Gas Company or 911. Call us for the repair after the utility has made the scene safe.
What to Do, In Order
- Get everyone and all pets outside. Do not stop to gather things.
- Do not touch light switches, thermostats, appliances, or garage door openers. Any of them can spark.
- Do not use your phone inside the house. Call from outside or a neighbor’s.
- Do not light anything — no matches, no lighters — and do not start a vehicle in an attached garage.
- Leave doors open as you exit if you can do so without delay, to help the space ventilate.
- Call the gas utility or 911 from a safe distance.
- Do not go back inside until the utility or fire department says it is safe.
What Not to Do
Do not try to find the leak yourself. Do not shut off gas appliances one by one. Do not open windows first — that costs time you should spend leaving. And do not assume a faint smell is nothing; natural gas is odorized specifically so a small leak is detectable, and small leaks become large ones.
Recognizing a Leak
- Rotten egg or sulfur smell
- Hissing near a line, appliance, or the meter
- A pilot light that will not stay lit
- Yellow or flickering burner flame instead of steady blue
- Soot around an appliance or vent
- Dead vegetation in a line above an underground gas line
- Headache, dizziness, or nausea that improves when you leave
Carbon Monoxide Is the Silent Version
A gas leak you can smell. Carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion or a blocked flue you cannot — it is odorless and colorless, and its symptoms mimic the flu. Working CO detectors on every level are essential in any home with gas appliances. If one sounds, everyone goes outside and you call 911.
After It Is Safe
The system needs a licensed plumber to locate the leak, repair it, and pressure test the rest of the line — a system with one failed connection often has others of similar age. Annual inspection of gas appliances and connections prevents most of this.
