A food truck with a leaking propane tank prompted evacuations and a hazardous materials response in a Chula Vista neighborhood Tuesday night, with officials eventually deciding to burn off the fuel “like a Tiki torch,” a fire official said.
Firefighters were called to a home on Second Avenue near D Street around 8:30 p.m. after someone reported the propane leak, said Chula Vista Deputy Fire Chief Harry Muns.
Fire officials, assisted by a county hazardous materials team and a propane distribution company called AmeriGas, came up with a plan to deal with the leak by burning off the fuel.
“They chose to mitigate the hazard by lighting off the propane and having it burn off,” Muns said. "It was like a Tiki torch, and they just lit it until it burned and consumed all the gas.”
AmeriGas brought in a tool called the "Red Dragon" that allows for the gas to burn off safely, according to OnScene TV.