A gas leak has been reported at the Sprint Mart located on Highway 12, near Airport Road, according to local emergency management officials.
Emergency Management Director Kristen Campanella told the Starkville Daily News that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality received a report from Sprint Mart, notifying of a potential gas leak around 1 p.m. The Fire Department has been on the scene since the initial call.
"They got a call from Sprint Mart about some diesel fuel missing, and they were thinking that they had a leak," Campanella said. "They're not sure on the amount, but they're estimating anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 gallons."
Campanella said Sprint Mart pulled their logs and noticed they were missing a significant amount of diesel fuel and called to report a potential leak.
Campanella said when MDEQ arrived at the Sprint Mart, they noticed a sheen on the water in the ditch after the rain to locate where the problem area could be.
MDEQ is sending contractors to do some excavation, and dig some of the ditch out to see where the leak is coming from. The excavation will begin sometime between 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
As for safety measures, Campanella said there are no safety precautions to be taken at this time. She said she has spoken with Starkville Utilities and they do not have any reports of anything in the water or sewer lines.
Campanella said there are no water lines in the area, but there is a sewer line that runs close enough to the area, where MDEQ will do a test of the area.
"It doesn't appear to be anywhere near water lines," Campanella said. "Until they start digging, they may find something else."
For safety purposes, Campanella advises residents to avoid the area, which could see traffic due to excavation work. She said it's possible they will have to close a part of Airport Road.