Natural gas shortage leaves chunk of Tucson, SE Arizona without heat
About 14,000 Tucson homes and businesses may be without heat for two days.
In response, city officials are opening two shelters at 5 p.m. today. They are at Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road and Pantano Christian Church, 10355 E. 29th St.
The Udall location will permit pets but only if they are in crates, and the Pantano location will not accept pets.
A shortage of natural gas in the pipeline that serves Tucson left areas on Tucson’s northeast and southeast sides without gas service beginning this morning.
The southern part of Sierra Vista, down to Hereford, also is without gas service.
The places most affected around Tucson are from North Swan Road eastward in the Catalina Foothills, the far side, and Rita Ranch on the southeast side.
For customers in those areas, gas service will likely be out all day today and into Friday or Saturday, said Southwest Gas spokeswoman Libby Howell. Utility workers will be going door-to-door re-starting service.
Southwest Gas is asking customers who still have natural-gas service to limit their use by turning down the heat and reducing hot-water usage.
East-side resident Donna Ester said her thermostat was set at 60 degrees all night but the gas went out before it automatically goes up during the day. The result: the indoor temperature was in the low 50s all day and promised to go further down.