MILFORD, Pa. — UPDATE:
The borough of Milford has identified a number of warming centers that will remain open overnight for affected customers. All locations will have water and other drinks available and some will have food. They include:
• Matamoras Fire Department, 506 Avenue Q, Matamoras
• Sunshine Station, 476 US-6, Milford Township
• Milford Bible Church, 110 Foxcroft Avenue, Dingman Township
• Tom Quick Inn, 411 Broad St, Milford Borough
Thousands are without natural gas in Pike County
Original story:
According to UGI, 2,400 homes and businesses in the Milford area lost service sometime Thursday morning. By noon, that number was down to about 1,400, according to the company.
The utility company is urging people to be careful with other sources of heat.
If you smell gas, call UGI at 1-800-276-2722.
UGI hasn't said what caused the outage but does say it is working as quickly as possible to resolve this situation and restore service.
We found many crews out, checking meters and working on getting their natural gas back in service.
Once natural gas service is restored, UGI says they will need to enter all homes affected to turn on natural gas service and relight appliances. They also ask customers not to attempt to turn their natural gas service back on their own.
"Cold, that's it. That's basically it," said Milford resident George Borecky. "I went to bed it was cold but I figured that it just had to kick in but about 1:30 a.m., it went out."
A spokesperson from UGI says there was an equipment failure at the main hub where the natural gas line comes in before it gets fed to homes and businesses around Milford and Matamoras.
"We're working through shutting off every meter and we hope to have that done in the next few hours. At that point, we reintroduce gas into the distribution system. And then we start one by one lighting up customers," explained UGI official Don Brominski.
Many of the restaurants in town are also affected, including those owned by the Milford Hospitality Group. Without heat, they don't have hot water and are forced to keep the doors closed for dining. However, they are opening the doors of the Tom Quick Inn on Broad Street for anyone to come and get warm.
"We're doing what's necessary to take care of our restaurants. We have a couple restaurants here and we want to make sure that we're doing the right thing setting up a warming station for the community and just try to make sure that we're keeping everybody warm and doing our part," said Gary Wilson, Milford Hospitality Group general manager.
The warming station at the Tom Quick Inn is open to anyone who needs to get warm. They are also offering rides to the restaurant for those who can't drive. You can call 570-832-8500 to arrange a ride.
If needed, warming stations are available at the following Area Agency on Aging Senior Centers:
- Blooming Grove Center, 150 Pike County Boulevard, in Lords Valley. Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Lackawaxen-Shohola Center, Lackawaxen Fire Department, Beisel Beck Road & Route 590, in Lackawaxen. Wednesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Delaware Valley Elementary School in Matamoras
Food, restrooms, and books are available. WiFi is available at the Blooming Grove Center.
Warming Centers are open to all ages.
Call the Area Agency on Aging at 570-775-5550 for more information.
Due to the outage, all Pike County government offices on the Milford campus including the Administration Building, Courts, and John Street will be closed Thursday, January 27.
UGI has not said how long it will take to restore service in Pike County.
More information from UGI's press release:
"In order to restore service to the area, UGI needs to turn off natural gas service at each individual home. In cases where this is an outdoor meter or service valve, UGI will shut off natural gas at that point. If UGI needs to enter a home to shut off natural gas and the homeowner is not present, UGI personnel will be assisted by fire, police, and other emergency personnel.
Once natural gas service is restored, UGI will need to enter all homes affected to turn on natural gas service and re-light appliances. Under no circumstances should a customer attempt to turn their natural gas service back on their own."
UGI urges caution while using secondary heat source
"During this outage, UGI urges customers to use caution when using a supplemental heat source. do not use an open oven or grill inside your home to provide heat. Use caution when using unvented space heaters, which can be a source of carbon monoxide. Always follow manufacturer's directions regarding the use of these heaters. be sure to provide adequate ventilation in areas where a space heater is used. Do not use unvented heaters in bedrooms, bathrooms, or confined spaces."
Head to WNEP's Youtube page for some winter-weather safety tips.