READING, MASS. (WHDH) - A propane gas tank leak prompted the evacuation of a residential neighborhood in Reading Tuesday afternoon, Reading police said.
Reading police, Fire, and the State’s Hazmat Team and Bomb Squad responded to the leak in the area of 215 Washington Street at approximately 4:40 p.m. Police said people who live in the area were evacuated as part of safety protocols.
“I go outside the whole street’s shut down. Before you know it, not even about 10-15 minutes later the cop rang the doorbell, ‘We have to evacuate,'” one Reading resident said.
“The homeowner on Washington Street called to report a leaking propane tank. On arrival, companies found a 20-pound propane tank that, they could smell gas, was leaking, and appeared to be bulging on the side,” said Reading Fire Chief Rick Nelson. “These 20-pound tanks – if it were to fail, it could be a catastrophic thing. It could be somewhere around a couple sticks of dynamite-type of explosion, so a pretty sizeable explosion. So we evacuated about 300 feet away from it to ensure everybody’s safety in case there was some sort of catastrophic failure.”
The propane tank was taken to the Reading Department of Public Works facility where the Hazmat Team and Bomb Squad worked to dispose of it properly.
Washington Street and Green Street were closed while first responders were on scene, but both have since reopened.
Nelson said the evacuation order has been lifted, and residents are free to return to their homes.
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