Woodbury Fire, Police Respond to Home Emitting Strong Propane Odor

The Woodbury Volunteer Fire Department was called to an odor of propane in and around a home on Pilgrim Trail in Woodbury Tuesday evening.

“The odor was very strong,” said Woodbury Fire Chief Janet Morgan. “The homeowner did the right thing by calling the fire department to check it out.”

The fire department responded sending one engine from each station and upon arrival metering the area above ground, outside the tank and inside the home.

According to Morgan, the firefighters found no readings that were a cause for alarm but the odor was extremely pungent. The department later found the odor was due to a lack of propane in the resident’s tank.

“The tank was down to less then one percent of propane,” said Morgan. “This strong odor is not unusual when the tank gets low.  The idolizer that is added to detect leaks gets stronger as the tank empties.”

The firefighters used natural ventilation to air out the odor and then showed the homeowner and children how to properly turn off the tank if a similar problem arises.

In this situation, Morgan advises residents to exit their home safely, but if there is no fire and no problem at the tank itself, to turn the gas off at the source before leaving.

In total six officers and 12 firefighters responded to the call.