Gas leak causes traffic backup

The Harrisonburg Fire Department responded to a call about a strong odor of gas at the JMU motor pool facilities on South Main Street at 5:07 p.m. Tuesday.

A loose fitting on a propane tank caused the leak, Fire Chief Larry Shifflett said. "Three engine companies, a power company and a hazardous materials vehicle responded to the call," he said.

The problem caused no injuries or significant damage. "Minor repairs were done pretty quickly," JMU spokesman Andy Perrine said. The JMU motor pool is the "facility where all of the trucks in the fleet get repairs," said Mack Moore, JMU coordinator of space management.

Traffic on South Main Street was blocked for about an hour. "Our main objective is to eliminate any source of ignition," Shifflett said. Two hose lines were run into the building to protect the people inside in case of ignition.

The propane tank was filled earlier in the day by Dixie Gas and Oil Corporation, Shifflett said. Chris Earhart, from Dixie Gas and Oil, said, "The tank was still full when [they] got there so there wasn’t much leakage." The tank is designed so a person would "smell it before you get any quantity that would be ignitable."