Propane Leak Saturday Afternoon Prompted Evacuation in Killingworth, Madison

The puncture of a line feeding into a pair of 1,000-gallon commercial propane storage tanks near the intersection of Routes 80 and 81 in Killingworth prompted Connecticut Light & Power to shut off electricity to 1,951 customers in three towns, including Madison, on Saturday afternoon.

Killingworth Fire Chief Richard Bauer said the public was in no immediate danger, but residents within a one-mile radius were under a mandatory evacuation order for part of the afternoon and evening. Residents within a five mile radius were asked to stay away as well.

North Madison resident Scott Gyllensten said he and his family were returning to their home on Bridle Path on Saturday afternoon when a neighborhood informed them they had received a phone call recommending that neighborhood residents leave.

"Our neighbor got a call," Gyllensten said Sunday. "They flagged us down and said we should probably leave, so we did." Gyllensten and his family went to stay with family members who live in another part of Madison.

The mandatory evacuation affected residents within a one mile radius of the Killingworth traffic circle where Routes 80 and 81 meet. Residents within 5 mile radius, which included Madison, were asked to stay away from the area as well.

The New Haven Register reported Sunday that the cause of the leak may have been damage to a 1,000-pound propane tank on the site of the former Pharmedica complex at 257 Route 81. Read the full story in the New Haven Register for additional details.