EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY- Crews scrambled to get to the Chaparral LP gas facility on Stowe Road off of FM 1314 in Porter on Saturday, after area residents reported a strong smell of gas.
Chief Clayton Brown of the Bennett Volunteer Fire Department said firefighters arrived to find heavy gas hanging close to the ground. It was leaking from one of the facility’s pumps, he said.
Firefighters used the emergency shutoff to quickly stop the flow of gas, but had to wait for what was already released to dissipate before clearing the scene and allowing automobiles in the area, Brown said. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area to keep anyone from attempting to pass through it.
Residents of about 200 homes in the immediate vicinity were forced to shelter in place until the gas cleared.