The liquid propane leak at AmeriGas in Clarkson on Monday was caused by a malfunction in a relief valve, according to Grayson County Emergency Management Director Tony Willen.
Willen told K105 that a spring in the spring-loaded relief valve became stuck just before 7:00 Monday night, leaving the valve in the open position and spewing highly flammable liquid propane from the 30,000-gallon tank. It took crews about three hours to offload the nearly 13,000 gallons of liquid propane contained in the leaking tank, and transfer the liquid to other tanks on the property.
The offloading crew, though, could not siphon all 13,000 gallons from the tank, leaving a small amount of liquid inside, resulting in thousands of cubic yards of highly flammable propane vapor hissing as it escaped through the open relief valve.
Considering the dangers involved, and the difficulty in reaching the malfunctioning relief valve, officials made the decision out of an abundance of caution to wait until daylight for a vendor to cap the leak, Willen said.
Clarkson Fire Chief Andy Cain said the state Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Willen praises first responders
Within minutes of the Clarkson Fire Department being dispatched to the scene, Cain, who also served as scene commander during the emergency, took control and ordered the closure of Hwy 62 between the William Thomason Byway and Peonia Road in Clarkson.
Cain also evacuated a nearby residence on Vincent Drive along with a few homes on Hwy 62 east of the accident site.
Grayson County Deputies Tim Jackson and Caleb Owens, Clarkson fireman/Grayson Co. Constable Bill Dalton, and Clarkson firemen Brandon Green and Steve Templeman, spent hours providing a roadblock at Hwy 62 and Peonia Road while Leitchfield PD Sgt. Robert Jackson blocked Shaw Station Road at Hwy 62. The Kentucky Highway Department’s Mark Stone provided a roadblock at Hwy 62 and the bypass.
The Leitchfield Fire Department was also dispatched to the scene, with Chief Tim Duvall noting that P&L Railroad should be notified to cease rail traffic as the tracks are only yards away from the leaking tank.
Blake Schroerlucke, a Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Special Deputy and Training Officer for the Leitchfield FD, and who has specialized training flying drones, flew an Emergency Management drone over the accident site, providing officials with a birds-eye view of the area.
Clarkson Police Chief Buck Meredith also arrived on the scene and provided support to fire officials for nearly the entire duration of the incident.
“I thought every responding agency stepped up and did an extremely good job,” Willen said. “It was an inconvenience to the community having the road closed but we did not want to risk worsening the situation by not taking the hazard seriously. I am very thankful it ended the way it did.”
Many first responders remained on scene for about 14 hours, spanning the entire emergency – from approximately 7:00 p.m. Monday until about 9:25 Tuesday morning.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
