Route 100 Closed For Propane Leak

Route 100 between Churchville Road in Hancock and Quarry Hill Rd. in Rochester was closed by the Vermont State Police for almost four hours Monday, Nov. 19, due to a suspected propane leak.

Shortly before noon, a trooper stopped a tractor-trailer unit carrying two 1,000-gallon propane tanks. During the stop, the trooper detected an odor emanating from one of the tanks, indicating that the tank might be leaking. As a precautionary measure, a section of Route 100 was temporarily closed to traffic, while the status of the tank was being determined. The Hancock Fire Dept. also responded to the scene.

The tanker was stopped in front of Hancock Building Supply, and an employee there told The Herald that the Hazard Response Team from Vermont Emergency Management had arrived about 1:30 p.m. The employee reported the odor of leaking gas and said fumes were visible in the air above the tank.

The valve to the leaking tank was capped and it was moved to different location to be off-loaded by the company later that afternoon.

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