Gasoline Vapors Close Down Buford Highway (Update)

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High concentrations of gasoline vapor forced the closure of Buford Highway at Langford Road Thursday afternoon in Norcross as authorities investigated the source.

Firefighters were on scene well into the afternoon, Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said, adding the roadway was re-opened by 4:45 p.m.

Firefighters were called to the scene, located in the City of Norcross near the Peachtree Corners city limits, around 12:46 p.m., after a Gwinnett County Water Resources crews detected an odor of gasoline inside a sewer manhole.

“Hazmat obtained high concentrations of gasoline vapors in the manhole in front of the CITGO station,” Rutledge said in a news release. “Checks of the sewer system north and south of the intersection revealed initial elevated readings, but have since decreased.”

The Georgia EPD is assisting in determining the exact cause of the incident. It was not immediately known if the gasoline storage tanks at the CITGO station was a contributing factor.

All lanes of Buford Highway at Langford Road were closed. Norcross Police and Georgia State Patrol diverted traffic, and several area businesses were asked to shelter-in-place as a precautionary measure.

Firefighters have since turned the scene over to the EPD, which advised further testing.

“The EPD representative found no visible leak from the sumps, but did advise that further testing would be necessary to determine the source for the gasoline vapors,” Rutledge said in an update. ”EPD is awaiting a private testing company to conduct dye testing to see if the problem may possibly be with an underground fuel storage tank or associated piping. The exact source is still undetermined.”

The scene is considered under control.

No injuries or evacuations were reported.

(Photos: Gwinnett Fire PIO)