A major propane leak has caused residential evacuations and a roadway closure between Leitchfield and Clarkson.
Monday night at approximately 6:50, first responders, including the Clarkson and Leitchfield Fire Departments, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Clarkson Police Chief Buck Meredith, Grayson County Emergency Management Director Tony Willen, and the Kentucky Road Department responded to the liquid propane leak.
The leak was in a 30,000 gallon tank containing 13,000 gallons of liquid propane at AmeriGas in the 600 block of West Main Street (Hwy 62) in Clarkson. The leak was a result of a broken valve on the tank. It’s unclear at this point what caused the valve to break, according to officials.
The leak caused the evacuation of at least one resident on Vincent Drive and a few residences on Hwy 62, as propane is a “high flammable” liquid and vapor with a “low flash point,” Clarkson Fire Chief Andy Cain said.
Elizabethtown Road (Hwy 62) was immediately shut down between the William Thomason Byway and Peonia Road. Initially, officials believed the road would be closed for about three hours, but issues arose with replacing the broken valve which has resulted in the roadway remaining closed until around 9:00 Tuesday morning.
The 13,000 gallons of liquid propane have been off-loaded from the leaking tank into multiple tanks on the AmeriGas property, but thousands of cubic yards of highly flammable propane vapor remain and continues to leak from the damaged tank, Cain said.
A replacement valve, located by Meredith and Willen Monday evening, was not placed on the leaking tank due to various issues related to reaching the broken valve.
Grayson County Schools has been notified of the road closure. Classes at Clarkson Elementary School, which is just under a mile from the leak site, will not be affected by the leak.
P&L Railroad was notified soon after the leak was discovered, as the leaking tank sits only a few yards from railroad tracks.
UPDATE Tuesday, 9:28 a.m.: Hwy 62 between Leitchfield and Clarkson has been reopened to normal traffic flow.
(Photo: The scene Monday night at AmeriGas on West Main Street in Clarkson soon after first responders arrived on scene)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
