Propane Leak Triggers Evacuations in Brick Township

Families on three Brick Township streets are back in their homes and breathing much more easily, driven out in the middle of the night by a leak in a propane tank in the neighborhood.

Police said they ordered everyone out of about 30 homes on First, Second and Third Avenues near Herbertsville Road when the leak was discovered behind the Herbertsville Deli.

A driver passing the shop reported a strong odor of gas at around 2:25 AM, police said. Residents took their cars to a spot on Burnt Tavern Road at Maple Avenue while officers set up a command post in the Dunkin Donuts on Herbertsville, police said. The road was blocked from Maple Avenue to Godfrey Lake Drive.

Firefighters secured the tank and families returned home by about 3:30 AM, police said. Investigators believe that an animal trying to chew through the tank left the damage that triggered the scare.

Police were aided by members of Brick Township's Office of Emergency Management, Brick EMS and the Herbertsville Fire Company.