Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 25, 2019 — The community of Winside has temporarily lost natural gas service this afternoon due to a third party damaging the pipeline that supplies natural gas to the town.

To safely fix the issue, technicians have to go house to house and turn off the approximately 230 affected gas meters in the town. After making repairs to the damaged line and re-pressurizing the lines, the energy company will be able to restore service to affected Winside customers. Crews will then go door to door to relight pilot lights. At locations where no one is home or the business is closed, employees will leave a tag on the door, notifying the customer that the natural gas has been shut off and to call the company to have it turned back on.

It is extremely important that customers do not attempt to re-light their own pilot lights on their furnaces or water heaters. The company asks customers whose service was interrupted to call 888-890-5554 right away.

Because of cold temperatures, Winside residents are encouraged to contact their neighbors who may be out of town. Please ask them to call Black Hills customer service so the company can check their home or building to make sure they have service so water pipes don’t freeze.

If any customer smells natural gas, they should leave their home immediately and then call 911. Don’t use the phone in the house where you smelled gas or turn off any lights as you leave. If there is gas in the house, a spark of any kind could ignite it and cause serious property and personal injuries.