The safety of Belmont’s gas lines have been called into question after the recent shut down of a San Carlos gas line on Oct. 7.

San Carlos shut down one of their gas lines in order to examine its safety. This has led to concerns being brought up about Belmont’s gas lines as well.

While Belmont’s gas lines passed inspections last year, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) have agreed to maintain and inspect these gas lines further. The city has also requested more information about test procedures and is currently in communication with PG&E.

“It can make you nervous, but nothing has happened recently. Overall, I still feel pretty safe,” said freshman Ryan Weiskopf.

The last major incident that occurred as a result of gas line mismanagement was the San Bruno pipeline explosion in 2010. The natural gas pipeline exploded resulting in deaths and a widespread fire. The explosion resulted in PG&E’s reassessment of the safety of the gas lines and also the reduction the operating pressure by 20 percent.

“I think it is good that Belmont is pushing for more safety inspections, it would be bad if something like San Bruno were to happen again,” said Belmont resident Gelica Peralta.

In order to detect gas leaks or problems involving pressure on the gas lines, regulatory inspections can reduce risks of explosions or other issues.

With all of these new precautions Belmont residents can feel more confident that an incident like the San Bruno explosion will never happen again.