Harvey County extends emergency declaration as investigators probe underground gas release at Fox Ridge

Mike, a county staff member, updated the Harvey County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 about an underground natural gas release detected in the Fox Ridge housing development in Newton and the ongoing multiagency response. "Our objectives remain ensuring the safety of all personnel working at the site, ensuring the safety of the residents in the area, maintaining situational awareness, continuing subsurface and above surface air monitoring," he said.

County officials said there is not a known immediate threat to the public at large, but the situation remains developing. The county reported that a potential gas release was first detected on Aug. 22; Kansas Gas Service and other agencies collected subsurface readings that day, and residents in the immediate vicinity were asked to evacuate as a precaution. Environmental contractors and laboratory testing began later in the week to identify the…