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First responders were dispatched to the Beckerle Lumber Supply Company on Route 303 in Orangeburg shortly after 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17.
Upon arrival, it was determined that a large propane storage tank that is used to fill smaller propane tanks was leaking gas. Fire and Hazardous Material Units from the Orangetown Police Department responded to the scene to assess and address the condition of the leak.
While the investigation into the leaking propane tank was ongoing, Route 303 was closed in both directions to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail was also closed due to its proximity to the leak, and several local businesses were also evacuated, police noted.
One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
Units from the Orangeburg, Blauvelt, Sparkill, Nyack, Pearl River, Piermont, Tappan, West Haverstraw, Stony Point, Congers, Northvale, N.J., Northwood, N.J., Old Tappan, N.J., River Vale, N.J., fire departments responded to the scene. Paramedics from the South Orangetown Ambulance Corps., Piermont Fire Department and Rockland Paramedic Service also responded to the scene as a precaution.
According to police, the fuel was safely removed from the large storage tank and operations were complete at the scene at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 18, at which point the Orangetown Police Department reopened the road and trail to the public.
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