If you smell natural gas near your dryer, do not light matches or a lighter, and don’t operate electrical switches or anything that might spark, which could ignite an explosion.

1) Immediately shut off the gas valve that serves the dryer.

2) If the smell is mild, ventilate the area, wait until the air is clear, and relight the pilot light.

3) If the smell is strong, move everyone out, leaving the doors open to ventilate the house.

4) Turn off the gas supply valve, located by the gas meter on the gas inlet pipe, by rotating the valve one-quarter turn with an adjustable wrench. The valve’s oblong stem should be perpendicular (at a right angle) to the inlet pipe to stop the flow of gas.

5) Call your gas supplier (or the fire department) from a neighbor’s phone or a cellphone outside.