Apartments Evacuated for Strong Natural Gas Smell

Residents of the Mosaic at Metro apartment complex on Belcrest Road were evacuated late this morning after loud fire alarms and lights blared through the halls of one building.

Witnesses said a resident pulled a fire alarm inside one of the interior buildings when he smelled a strong natural gas smell. About 20 residents waited outside the front door of the complex as firefighters from Hyattsville and Riverdale checked out the suspicious odor.

According to a Mosaic employee who was helping the firefighters, a resident on the third floor of building four left their gas-powered stove on high while it wasn't being used.

An industrial size fan was set up to help diffuse the gas, which could be smelled down a long corridor away from the apartment.

No one was injured and residents were allowed back inside after about 30 minutes.