Little Silver firefighters at the scene of last night’s propane leak on Branch Avenue. Behind the Winnebago and supply tank are the tracks of the North Jersey Coast Line.
The propane leak that shut down NJ Transit rail service south of Red Bank for about 90 minutes yesterday afternoon involved a motor home that was refueling a tank.
According to the Asbury Park Press:
The leak developed as propane was being pumped into a Winnebago at the Citgo Station at 697 Branch Ave., Detective Lt. Joseph Mazza said.
Police were forced to block off streets and New Jersey Transit had to delay train traffic traveling through Little Silver beginning at 3:40 p.m., according to police and NJ Transit.
Firefighters worked to cool the propane tanks as a precaution, and a hazardous materials response team from NJ Transit police also responded to the location, Mazza said.
A service station attendant was reported to have received minor injuries from the leaking gas. He was treated at the scene, Mazza said.
The accident occurred just a few hundred feet north of the Little Silver train station and beside the North Jersey Coast Line tracks. The agency halted train service between Red Bank and Long Branch at about 4p, briefly causing automobile traffic to back up at grade crossings near the Red Bank station, where a southbound train was held.
NJ Transit spokesman Joe Dee told redbankgreen that the agency’s hazardous materials unit was dispatched to the scene to take air samples and determine if there was any risk to passing trains and passengers. A decision was made at about 5:30p that there was no risk and train service resumed, Dee said.
Firefighters remained on the scene for about another hour.
