Smoking! AUB sewer tests leaves downtown offices in a cloud

The Athens Fire Department has been called to Downtown Athens twice this week after people spotted smoke filling buildings.
Firefighters responded to the Murray Willis Edward Jones office on White Street Tuesday morning. This morning, they responded to Pope Law Offices on Washington Avenue after smoke was sighted in the building.
Neither case turned out to be an actual fire. The smoke was caused by Athens Utilities Board pouring smoke into wastewater lines to find areas where the main lines have leaks. AUB spokesman Wayne Scarbrough said both instances downtown involved buildings with an empty toilet so there was no water barrier to prevent the smoke from entering the buildings.
Scarbrough said AUB contacts the fire department every morning to inform them where they will be conducting smoke tests and sent out news releases before testing began. But he said he understood with testing going on across several weeks how it can slip people's minds and he would much rather people be safe than sorry if they spot smoke in their buildings.
He said people may see similar incidents in their homes if they have an unused or empty sink or toilet. Scarbrough suggested people keep water in the sink and toilet traps and ensure there is adequate pipe venting because the smoke might also indicate other problems like th