First responders put an end to a gas leak scare Jan. 21 in Holmes Beach.
West Manatee Fire Rescue fire marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski wrote in a Jan. 21 text message to The Islander that staff and others supervised a controlled burn to relieve a leaking private 500-gallon propane tank at 636 Key Royale Drive.
WMFR incident Cmdr. Derek Bill led the efforts, with support from the Holmes Beach Police Department, Longboat Key Fire Rescue and the Southern Manatee Fire & Rescue’s hazmat team.
WMFR staff responded around 11:33 a.m. after an AmeriGas Propane technician, who was there to fill the tank, discovered the leak.
First responders secured the scene and evacuated nearby properties.
Kwiatkowski said the SMFR Hazmat team determined burning off the gas was the safest option.
Firefighters set up a propane flare in the 600 block of Key Royale Drive, which was barricaded to the public, and burned off the remainder of the gas.
There were no injuries and personnel cleared the scene by 1:50 p.m., according to Kwiatkowski.
— Ryan Paice