Crews burn off remaining vapor after propane leak prompts evacuation

Engineers checking integrity of tank to see if owner needs to remove it

MIAMI – Engineers on Thursday were back at the scene of a propane gas leak in Coconut Grove. 

The incident forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes Wednesday morning.

City of Miami Fire Rescue was in the area off Northwest 27th Avenue Thursday morning, burning off the remaining vapor as they filled the tank with water. Fortunately, that did not require any evacuations or road closures.

"My neighbor was taking a shower and he heard an explosion so he came pounding our door," Coconut Grove resident Zezaggy Jaochico said.

Eight buildings that housed 300 residents, including a day care, were evacuated as crews worked to stop the leak.  

The property manager said he had no idea the tank was even there, so crews didn't know how much gas was inside or how stable the 1,000 gallon tank was.

"Not knowing the history of the tank, recognizing the age of the tank, we were working with something that was an unknown," Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban said. 

After 12 hours of work, crews were able to fix a faulty pressure release valve and residents were allowed back to their homes.  

Engineers are checking the integrity of the tank to see if the owner will have to remove it.
 


About the Author:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.