News Photo by Reagan Voetberg A large tarp covers damage an explosion last week caused to Miller Office Machines. The explosion is still under investigation.

ALPENA — On March 16, in the morning between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., an explosion occurred at the Miller Office Machines building on U.S.-23 South.

There was a small fire and some smoldering at the building which took about 100 gallons of water to put out, said Alpena Township Fire Chief Tim Baker.

That compared to a large house fire could take several hundred thousand gallons of water. A fire truck carries 1,000 gallons.

Baker said the explosion is still in an open investigation and the cause is not yet known and there is no foul play suspected.

The explosion of the office support building comes on the heels of an explosion at a house on Clark Street on March 17 in Alpena is also under investigation. Authorities believe a gas leak was to blame for the explosion that forced an evacuation of the immediate area.

While the cause is uncertain, the two situations draw awareness to the dangers of potential gas leaks, which can cause explosions like these.

Baker said that if you hear a hissing sound or if there is a strong odor, those could be signs of a natural gas leak. If either or both of those are present, you should get out of the area and call 911, he said.

“Let the professionals handle it to make sure it’s not a hazardous situation,” Baker said.

Even static electricity could set off a fire or explosion if there is natural gas build up from a leak, he said.

To help prevent gas leaks, you can check your gas meter regularly, but especially when there are temperature changes. If anything seems off, call your gas company.

“It’s always a good idea during temperature changes to check gas meters, temperature changes could cause something to loosen up,” Baker said.

Sometimes people accidentally bump gas meters with lawn mowers, which could also cause a leak to occur.

“Just be situationally aware, if you smell something, do something about it,” he said. If you think there are any issues, call your gas company.”

“Don’t use a lighter to see if the gas is leaking,” Baker joked.

“There’s an odor that is put in natural gas to make it smell, they add an additive to it, so if you smell it you know,” Alpena Fire Chief Andy Marceau said.

He said while there was a gas leak at the house on Clark Street, they are still unsure what caused the leak to ignite.

Marceau said that if you smell a gas leak, you should immediately get out of the house and try to leave a door open to let the area vent. Call 911 or call your local heating and cooling company to find where the leak is coming from if you are unsure.

If you do know where the leak is, shut off natural gas to that area or appliance.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.