Authorities: Propane leak at Milton Propane contained with no harm done

MILTON — A leak of liquid propane triggered a 10-hour evacuation around Milton Propane, 3992 Vincent St., on Monday, Lakeside Fire and Rescue said. No injuries were reported from the leak.

When responders got to the site, a cloud of liquid propane vapor was being driven to the south by prevailing winds, according to a news release. Crews worked with the Milton Police Department and Rock County Sheriff’s Office to close John Paul Road/County Y, Vincent Street and the surrounding area.

Upon investigation, it was found the leak was coming from a valve on the bottom of an approximately 60,000-gallon liquid propane tank. Fire crews worked with Milton Propane employees to find the best way to safely access the area of the leak when it froze over due to the temperature of the leaking propane.

According to the release, this stopped the immediate flow, but then presented a challenge as to how to safely empty the storage tank to prevent additional releases of propane gas.

Rock County Emergency Management and the Rock County Hazardous Materials Response Team were requested to assist to coordinate and mitigate the situation. The city of Madison Response Team was also asked for air monitoring equipment.

Off-loading of the tank began at about 1:53 p.m. and was completed by 4:10 p.m. Lakeside was also assisted by fire departments in Janesville, Evansville and Madison. An incident command post was supported by the Milton Department of Public Works, the Rock County Department of Public Works, Alliant Energy, Rock Energy Cooperative, the Rock County Communications Center, the city of Beloit Police Department and SWEPT.

Three homes and three businesses were evacuated for about 10 hours. No injuries were reported. Several roads surrounding Milton Propane, including Vincent Street and John Paul Road/County Y, were closed during the incident.