A bulldozer today damaged a 500-pound propane tank newly installed at a Westport home near the Wilton town line, spewing about 250 gallons of gas into the air, fire officials said.
A Westport police cruiser blocks Wilton Road today at Newtown Turnpike because of a propane leak on Marilane. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
The incident, which shut down busy Wilton Road for about four hours, ended with firefighters using high pressure air bags to lift the bulldozer off the tank so gas workers could plug the leak.
No one was injured in the incident at 8 Marilane off of Wilton Road, said Assistant Chief Larry Conklin.
The leak was reported at about 8:40 a.m. and responding firefighters had to hook up their hoses to a fire hydrant on Wilton Road across from Marilane, forcing closure of the roadway.
Conklin said several valves were sheared off by the bulldozer, allowing about 250 gallons of liquid propane to escape into the atmosphere.
However, the escaping gas froze at the valves, trapping about 200 gallons of liquid propane in the tank, he said.
Firefighters used monitors to check for dangerous levels of propane in the residence and surrounding areas and shut off electricity in the house as a precaution, Conklin said.
HoCon Gas Company workers responded to the scene to plug the leak and ultimately to transfer the liquid propane to a truck, he said.
Westport firefighters position a high pressure air bag to lift a bulldozer to gain access to a damaged propane tank. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Firefighters had to stretch 1,000 feet of hose line from the hydrant on Wilton Road to the house at the end of Marilane.
Complicating the operation to stop the leak was the fact that the bulldozer stopped directly above the damaged valves, Conklin said.
Firefighters in full protective gear and using air packs placed high pressure air bags under the bulldozer to partially lift it to make access for gas company workers to cap off the leak, he said.
Once the leak was stopped, wooden cribbing and soil was used to raise the bulldozer tread completely off the tank’s dome, Conklin said.
The bulldozer operator, under the protection of a hose line, was then able to drive the bulldozer off the damaged tank, he said.
The Fairfield Fire Department sent an engine company to Westport fire headquarters while Westport firefighters were at the gas leak until off-duty Westport firefighters could be summoned to man backup apparatus, Conklin said.
Firefighters had to be rotated to different positions because of the extreme heat conditions—the temperature rose into the 80s.
Wilton Road was closed from Newtown Turnpike in Westport to Brenner Road in Wilton.
Homeowners Valerie and Eric Ratner were inside the house when the workers notified them of the propane leak, and they contacted the fire department.
The tank, used to heat a pool, was filled with propane on Monday, the homeowners said.
--Dave Matlow contributed reporting for this story.
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