Spend one minute reading this now. Protect your family for a lifetime. Smell gas? Act fast! Natural gas is a colorless, odorless fuel. For safety reasons, a chemical odorant called mercaptan is added for easy detection. This odorant has a distinctive rotten egg" type scent. Natural gas odors should be reported right away. Do not try to locate the source of the smell. If you smell this odor: . Alert others and leave the area immediately. . Leave the door open as you exit. Avoid using any sources of ignition, such as cell phones, lighters matches, cigarettes, flashlights, light switches, landlines or starting a car engine. Call Virginia Natural Gas at 877572.3342 or 911 once you are out of the area and in a safe place. Virginia Natural Gas virginianaturalgas.com