Killingworth residents now allowed back into their homes, after a propane leak forced them out.
The evacuation was by the intersection of routes 80 and 81. It's unknown how many residents were affected.
“A 1,000-gallon propane tank…was damaged with some construction equipment,” said Public Information Officer Arnie Moore, with the Killingworth Fire Dept.
Someone operating a backhoe excavator picked up a large rock and compromised the underground fuel tank.
Power was cut off, and residents near the site were forced to leave, as crews worked for hours to find a safe solution.
This evening, fire officials decided to “flare out” the propane from the tank—essentially, burning it off. The process could last through the weekend.
“The leak is controlled at the tank. The propane is fed out through the hose and burned off, as it exits the hose,” said Arnie Moore.
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The fire department said the immediate area is safe. Residents have been allowed in; that’s good news for Michael Lee, who was forced to close his restaurant during the evacuation.
“We [lost] a lot of business,” said Lee.
Killingworth First Selectwoman Catherine Iino is glad a solution was reached, because she said things could have been worse.
“Nobody was hurt. Fortunately, [there were] no explosions,” said Iino.
