That rotten-egg smell isn’t a mystery you solve. It’s a signal. Natural gas companies add that sulfur odor on purpose so you notice it, because natural gas itself is odorless. If you’re smelling it, there’s already enough gas in the air to be dangerous.
Here’s what you do. You leave. Right now. Don’t grab your bag, don’t look for your phone charger — get out of the building as fast as you can.
And before you go, or even as you’re going, don’t touch a single light switch. Don’t plug anything in. Don’t use your landline. Anything that could cause a spark — even static electricity — could ignite an explosion in a gas leak. That includes your phone if it’s inside the house, though once you’re outside and away from the building, you can use it.
So the order is: get out, stay out, then call 911 from outside.
Don’t try to find the leak yourself. Don’t sniff around the stove or check the basement. You are not the one who locates the source — that’s what professionals are for. Your job is to remove yourself from the danger zone and let people with the right equipment handle it.
Once you’re outside and clear of the building, call 911. You can also call your gas company’s emergency line if you know it — many run 24/7 — but 911 is always a safe call and gets help moving fast.
Don’t go back inside until emergency responders tell you it’s safe. Not to get your keys. Not for anything. The gas company and fire department can check the building — you can’t.
This is one of those things that sounds extreme until you hear about what happens when people don’t follow it. A spark in a gas-filled room doesn’t just start a fire — it can cause a powerful explosion in seconds. So if you ever smell gas indoors — even faintly, even if you’re not sure — treat it like it’s real and get out.