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Alerted by a resident, a PSE&G crew found high natural gas readings coming from the area of a home on Larch Avenue between North Street and Kenwood Place shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, Teaneck Police Lt. Kevin Brennan said.
“The readings were at levels that warranted an evacuation of all residences within 330 feet,” the lieutenant said.
Teaneck police, firefighters and members of the Volunteer Ambulance Corps worked together to clear the neighborhood and secure the scene, placing residents on buses provided by the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Brennan said.
Some residents temporarily remained at the Richard Rhoda Community Center while others took shelter on their own, he said.
VAC ambulances also helped keep residents and responders alike warm.
PSE&G advised township officials around 10 p.m. that a service line leak to the home at the originally reported location was shut down and repairs were underway, allowing everyone to return.
“No injuries or illnesses were reported by any residents or first responders,” Brennan said.
“Calls like this show why all the inter-agency training we do each year is so crucial and what resources the Teaneck residents have in town to respond to emergencies,” the township VAC wrote in a post.
Brennan, meanwhile, reminded anyone who smells gas to “act quickly and immediately exit the building and move at least 350 feet.”
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