Propane Leak Leads to Evacuations in Eastchester

A propane leak at a private residence at 16 Interlaken Drive in Eastchester early Monday afternoon led to the evacuation of a number of adjacent homes, whose occupants were not permitted back to the area until almost 10 p.m. later that night.

The leak at the residence was first reported at 1:10 p.m. on Monday, after a hole was cut in a 500-gallon aboveground propane tank, according to Eastchester Fire Captain Thomas Ferrara.

Residents at the house where the incident occurred were said to be attempting to move the tank, even though it still had 40% product in it. While the move was being attempted, a hole was unknowingly cut into the tank, at which point the Eastchester Fire Department was notified. By 1:13 p.m., Ferrara said between eight and ten adjacent homes on Interlaken Drive and the block behind it were evacuated.

A relative of an evacuee told Patch that their family member got a loud bang on their door from police officers around that time, who explained they could not use the doorbell due to the threat of gas and asked them to vacate their home. Police officers also asked evacuating residents to avoid using any light switches before their exit. A number of police cars were reported on scene. 

It appears that residents who were evacuated had a tough time receiving updates about the situation and when they could possibly return home, as it was reported that calls into the Eastchester Police Department returned little information.

The relative of the evacuee contacted Patch around 8:30 p.m. Monday night with this message: "Homeless and evacuated in Eastchester today! Whats going on? Alledged gas leak on Interlaken Rd; Mill Rd and Longview drive residents out of their homes! The PD has no updates for these people...as of 8PM..Not even a clue as to what’s happening. They cannot return home? Anybody with news - it would be appreciated."

According to Ferrara, the situation was fully under control by 9 p.m. and residents were allowed back into their homes between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. Upon first arriving at the scene, the Eastchester Fire Department attempted to slow the leak down until the Suburban Propane company called for the emergency arrived on scene. Once there, Suburban Propane transferred the majority of the remaining propane into one of their trucks. What couldn’t be transferred was “bled off on the front lawn and light on fire,” Ferrara said.

“There was nobody hurt, very minimal damage,” Ferrara said Monday night. “That’s basically what happened.”