(The following story by Shelby Parker and Lacey Sheppy appeared on The Moose Jaw Times Herald website on October 2.)
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — A four-block radius around the Canadian Pacific Railway’s main yard in Moose Jaw was evacuated Monday afternoon after crews noticed a strong smell coming from a tanker car carrying propane.
The City of Moose Jaw declared a state of emergency in response to the leak.
Police and firefighters were called around 1:45 p.m., and the areas from Second Avenue Northeast to Second Avenue Northwest and Manitoba to River Streets were cordoned off.
Twelve residents, CPR personnel, as well as those working at Kentucky Fried Chicken on River Park Drive, Giant Tiger, the Moose Jaw liquor store, Grower Direct Fresh Cut Flowers, H.W. Bullied Accounting and Fabutan on Manitoba Street East were forced to leave the area around 2 p.m.
The area was bounded on the south by the Moose Jaw River, on the north by Manitoba Street.
The city set up the displaced residents with somewhere to stay for the night.
Although designed to vent gases from the top of the car, CPR spokeswoman Breanne Feigel said crews noticed the car was “venting more than usual.”
The train was heading eastbound at the time of the incident.
Experts from Regina employed by the company shipping the propane had to come to Moose Jaw to investigate.
After an investigation, CPR and the owners of the cars looked at two options to deal with the situation.
One plan would have seen the cars taken out of town where the gases would be put into other tanks.
The other plan was to ignite the propane coming out of the tanks to slowly burn off the excess gas.
Officials decided to burn off the excess gas.
The Times-Herald was informed Monday night that it would take between six and eight hours to burn off the excess gas from the tankers.
The state of emergency was removed between 11 and 11:30 p.m. Monday.