A gas leak is believed to have caused a fiery explosion Wednesday morning in East Harlem, New York City, that killed at least eight people and injured about 60 others.

On Feb. 9, 2011, a cracked cast iron gas main operated by UGI Utilities in Allentown caused an explosion that killed five people and leveled eight homes on North 13th Street. The company last year agreed to a Public Utilities Commission order that it pay $500,000 and speed up its plans to replace the then-83-year-old pipes.In Carbon County, Jim Thorpe and Lehighton boroughs each have a network of natural gas lines feeding homes and businesses.UGI Central Penn Gas supplies natural gas to the boroughs. The company has about 74 miles of pipe that serve about 2,500 customers in Carbon County, said spokeswoman Becky Eshbach.It also has 124 miles of line each in Monroe and Schuylkill counties. The lines are of varying ages, and the majority are made of steel or plastic, Eshbach said.So far, there's not been a problem, according to the state Public Utilities Commission. Both the gas company and the PUC keep watch over the lines."All of UGI's main facilities are surveyed on a PUC-approved schedule, prioritized by proximity to buildings, planned third-party activity, material, and frost conditions, among other factors," Eshbach said."Survey inspections are completed by a combination of foot and driving patrols, using either flame-ionization technology or an infrared detection system to detect natural gas," she said.An ounce of preventionPUC spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher said gas companies must file a periodic Distribution Integrity Management Plan. The plan includes evaluating and ranking risks, and measures to address them.The documentation also includes the age of pipelines, what they are made of, soil types, and freeze-thaw cycles, whether the pipe had any incidents such as being damaged or struck by excavating equipment, and the amount of pressure of gas in the pipe.Federal and state law closely regulate how gas companies operate. For example, the government requires gas companies to file with the PUC a natural gas emergency plan "reflecting its unique operational characteristics and design criteria."The state also requires gas companies to keep complete and up-to-date maps, plans and records of its entire distribution and other systems. The records must show the size, character and location of each pipeline and its components, along with each service connection.Bob Ackley of Gas Safety USA, a company specializing in safety measures for natural gas transmission, said any old pipes need to be replaced. It was a crack in an old cast iron gas pipe that caused the 2011 Allentown explosion.It's not just cast iron that needs to be replaced as it ages."Old steel lines are susceptible to leaks," Ackley said. "Any type of steel exposed to air or water (both of which can be present underground) are susceptible to corrosion, and that leads to a hole in the pipe."He said that new technologies can map the leaks via global positioning coordinates."We have equipment that can find the gas leaks," he said. "But it's really about awareness. If you have pipes in your area, and if you smell gas, call the gas company. In New York City, there were people smelling gas, but nobody called the gas company."He also urges people to call Pennsylvania One-Call (811) before excavating because gas lines could be anywhere.Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Nalesnik warns people to never turn a gas valve back on themselves after it has been turned off."That's for the gas company to do. Doing that yourself is a catastrophe waiting to happen," he said.If the unthinkable happensShould a gas line explode, local first responders are ready.Lehighton Emergency Management Coordinator Brenda Koons said the borough has recently updated its emergency plan."We would make sure everything safe for people, make sure people were out of buildings. We would evacuate people if we had to. But we'd get the gas company on scene as soon as possible," said borough fire Chief Gary Frable.In Jim Thorpe, Emergency Management Coordinator Curtis Jackson said his borough's emergency plans are thorough, but are not specific to gas explosions. He said the county would be called in.Nalesnik said each municipality has evacuation plans in place."We would follow the municipality's plan, and open shelters. If a shelter is in an evacuation area, we would go to alternative areas. We do have emergency plans in place, based on need."The county would also immediately alert and direct the public by breaking into television and radio broadcasts, through its municipal alert system or through the county's new ReadyNotifyCarbon system, which sends alerts through email, text or cell phone.If the explosion exceeds the county's capabilities, Nalesnik said he can call in emergency responders from surrounding municipalities or counties, or the state Emergency Management Agency.Although there are always risks, natural gas is growing in popularity. There were about 2.7 million natural gas customers in the state as of Jan. 1. That's up from about 2 million in January 2002.Among them is Keith Hontz of Jim Thorpe. He hooked into UGI's system two years ago to cut down his fuel oil bills."In the first year of using gas, I recouped the cost of the two heaters and saved money," he said.Hontz takes safety precautions, such as installing carbon monoxide detectors and having his heaters regularly serviced."People see one big catastrophe, and without knowing the details, jump to the conclusion that gas is dangerous," he said. "Gas is safe and more and more affordable."@Section Head:What to do if you suspect a gas leakUGI adds an odorant, which smells like sulfur or "rotten eggs," to natural gas to help you detect a gas leak. The odorant is added in small concentrations and is harmless.• If you smell an odor of sulfur or rotten eggs, leave the building immediately, taking everyone with you.• Do not use the phone, light a match, or switch anything on or off, including your cell phone or a flashlight.• Leave the door open behind you and call UGI from your cell phone or neighbor's home. UGI's emergency response number is 800-652-0550.• UGI will send a service technician to investigate the odor immediately.• UGI emergency responders are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.Anyone can request a free "scratch and sniff" booklet to learn more about gas safety steps by contacting UGI at 800-276-2722. Brochures can also be ordered online at

http://www.ugi.com/portal/page/portal/UGI/Customer_Services/Forms/Brochures.