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A bucket loader clearing snow hit the exposed feeder neck of the underground tank shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday, triggering a mass response and the evacuation of a Walmart and other stores and homes in and around the Saddle Brook Mall, Police Chief Robert Kugler said.
“Due to the large leak and the unknown size of the tanks, there’s a chance of explosion,” Kugler said. “So the entire mall was evacuated and closed.
“So were homes on South Boulevard, North Boulevard and Adriana Street whose backyards border the area.”
Two of the 15 or so families who had to leave their homes requested assistance with lodging, the chief said.
The borough arranged overnight stays for them and anyone else who needed it at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, he said. (Story continues below photo.)
Firefighters immediately responded to the two-alarm call and mutual aid towns were notified, Kugler said.
A Bergen County Hazardous Materials Unit arrived about a half-hour later and the state Department of Environmental Protection was notified, he said.
Three ambulances were also dispatched on standby, the chief said.
A wet towel tossed onto the hole froze, helping to stem the flow of propane, Kugler said.
Tri State Commercial Realty of Englewood Cliffs, which owns the shopping center property, summoned AmeriGas to assess the situation, he said.
Repairs were completed at 3:50 a.m., Kugler said.
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