Gas Odor Clears Effingham's Masonic Lodge

A strong odor of natural gas cleared out Effingham's Masonic Lodge Wednesday. 

The Effingham Fire Department was called to the lodge Wednesday evening after a member arrived to find the gas odor. The building had been empty for several days prior to the call.

Fire officials utilized monitoring devices to determine the origin of the leak. The devices registered high readings, and crews immediately began the process of ventilating the building. Exhaust fans were also put into place to help remove the gas.

It was determined that the gas odor was caused by a gas oven that had been left in the "on" position in the lower level of the building, which allowed the gas to flow freely from the burner. Ameren was called to the scene to investigate and the company tagged the oven until repairs to the unit could be made. Ameren disconnected gas service to the building as well, as a precaution.

There were no injuries or damage to the building, and members of the lodge relocated their meeting to another location.