Electrical Line Collapse Causes Gas Leak and Fire in Neptune Township, Prompting Evacuations and Outages

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, NJ — An electrical line's collapse from a utility pole at the intersection of Green Grove Road and West Bangs Avenue resulted in a gas leak and fire in the area on Wednesday, April 17.

This incident prompted first responders to immediately evacuate the Little Class Preschool and neighboring residences as a precautionary measure. All residents, children and staff were safely escorted from the area, said police.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

“At first, we heard a crash and thought it was just another accident at the corner. Then my wife opened the shade and said "There's fire." We both pulled out our phones, I said, "Are you calling 911 or recording it?" She said," I guess I'll call 911." So I started recording,” Matthew Pucci, a nearby neighbor told TAPinto.

The Neptune Township Office of Emergency Management's HazMat Team responded to the scene alongside The Neptune Fire and Police Department and EMS crews.

Upon arrival, a large flame was observed shooting up from a hole in the road, next to a downed utility wire. It was determined that a high-voltage wire had fallen to the ground and caused a buried high-pressure gas line to rupture, according to the Office of Emergency Management.

NJ Natural Gas and JCP&L responded to the scene and began efforts to stop the leak, which resulted in a large-scale power and gas outage impacting much of western Neptune Township, including traffic lights on Route 66 and Route 33.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

As NJ Natural Gas worked to stop the leak, the Neptune Township Office of Emergency Management HazMat (NTOEM) conducted air monitoring of the surrounding area, utilizing handheld and wireless area gas detection meters and infrared detection equipment to monitor the level of combustible gas in the air (LEL) and the concentration of the gas (PPM) to help determine if additional evacuations were needed.

At approximately 9:20 p.m., the gas line was shut off and the release was stopped.

Following the shutoff, NTOEM HazMat conducted air monitoring in the Little Class Preschool and, upon discovering elevated readings, successfully ventilated the school with the Neptune Fire Department.

During a meeting with representatives from JCP&L and NJ Natural Gas, NTOEM Leadership focused on two primary objectives: prioritizing the safety of local residents and expediting the restoration of utilities for those affected by the incident.

At the conclusion of the incident, six residences remained without gas service and an estimated 80 residences remained without power.

“Thanks to the teamwork and expertise of Neptune's emergency responders, no injuries were reported and there was no property damage outside of the road and utility pole as a result of this incident,” stated a release from the Office of Emergency Management, adding, “Thank you for the patience of all those impacted by the evacuation, the gas/power outages, and the road closures.”

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net