‘Extremely dangerous’ levels of natural gas force evacuation of Safeway store

A Safeway grocery store on North Hamilton Street was evacuated Tuesday morning after firefighters detected “extremely dangerous” levels of natural gas in the air inside the building, Spokane Fire Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said.

Workers smelled gas and called 911 at about 6 a.m. Avista Utilities shut off gas lines, and firefighters stood by with hoses ready as a precaution. Several streets in the neighborhood were closed.

Schaeffer said firefighters immediately detected the hazard upon entering the building using body-worn instruments. An investigation determined that one of the natural gas supply lines had a leaking joint.