BETHEL PARK (KDKA) – Several residents reported smelling natural gas in the South Hills Tueday afternoon.

“It’s just really, really, really, pungent,” Michael Cho said.

When he noticed the smell, he feared it would cause an explosion.

“You don’t want to start to look at the problem when, you know, if there’s a fire or explosion or something like that, right?” Cho added. “You want to take care of the issue when it’s still less serious.”

According to officials at EQT, the smell is not being caused by a natural gas leak. The smell is actually being caused by a chemical that is mixed with natural gas to alert people to leaks.

The chemical, mercaptan, escaped into the air as crews were transferring it from a truck to a pipeline in the South Hills.

Officials said the smell is not dissipating because of the low ceiling and rainy weather.

They also said the situation is not hazardous.

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