MARION — Consumers Energy is restoring service to approximately 500 natural gas customers in Marion on Thursday morning following a service disruption. The outage was caused by an equipment issue at a gate station on Wednesday.
Service workers are currently moving door-to-door to relight appliances for affected residents and businesses. The utility company reported that heat is being restored to the community throughout the day.
Consumers Energy service workers are visiting every affected home and business on Thursday to work at gas meters and relight appliances. If a resident is not home, workers will leave a tag on the door with instructions to call the utility company and arrange a follow-up visit. Personnel will remain in the community for the next several days to respond to customer needs.
Holly Bowers serves as the vice president for gas engineering and supply at Consumers Energy. She noted that the company is moving through the restoration process as quickly as possible.
“We appreciate the patience of our customers as we’ve worked quickly to safely return normal service to the community,” Bowers said. “We have started to get the heat back on and look forward to working with our customers throughout the day to assist in relighting appliances.”
Utility officials advised customers to let their faucets drip slightly to help prevent pipes from freezing while service is being restored. The company also reminded residents that any employee who comes to a door will wear a company identification badge and will show it upon request.
The company also released safety protocols for anyone who smells natural gas or suspects a leak. Residents should leave the area immediately without trying to find the source of the leak and should not use any electrical devices, including cellphones. Once in a safe outdoor location with fresh air, residents should call 911 and then contact Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.
Service workers will remain in the Marion community for the next few days to respond to customers. Residents who find a tag on their door can call Consumers Energy to arrange for an appliance relight.