Gas main fire in Hillsborough prompts temporary evacuations, road closures
HILLSBOROUGH, New Jersey (WABC) -- A gas main fire in Hillsborough, New Jersey, led to evacuations, outages and closed roads.
The fire started Wednesday night on Millstone River Road and burned for 16 hours.
No one was injured, and no homes were damaged but it created a pretty serious mess for the neighborhood.
NewsCopter 7 was overhead Thursday morning and 7-foot-high flames could be seen shooting from the street and the sewer grate.
Hillsborough Township's district fire chief has had his first responders there since it all began, which he says started with a call of a powerline down over the same spot.
"We don't know if the powerline coming down caused it or just a coincidental leak that the powerline came down at the same time," said Chief Chris Weniger. "We have had situations in the past where a powerline will come down and energize the ground and cause damage to the pipe underground."
Five homes in the closest proximity to the break were evacuated to establish a safe zone.
The fire chief said they took the best course of action and let the fire burn itself out.
"Having the gas burn off is safer than the gas escaping, going to different homes or down the street, finding a source of ignition and having an explosion," Weniger said.
Nearly 16 hours after the fire began, just after 2 p.m., it finally died out and PSE&G crews moved in to begin their work.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
