A SERVICE station was evacuated and roads around Okehampton closed last Wednesday afternoon while firefighters dealt with a leak from a propane gas cylinder.
A total of 4,400 litres of liquid propane gas was transferred to a mobile tanker at Whitehouse Services in Exeter Road after the leak was discovered at around 5pm.
The area was sealed off and the service station, cafe and a nearby house evacuated. A slip road to the A30, the A30 overbridge and Exeter Road at Belstone were also closed whilst the clean up operation continued until 11.30pm.
Two pumps from Okehampton Fire Station and local police were in attendance.
Sgt Alastair Davison said the incident was potentially very dangerous but the risks were minimised by the prompt action of the staff at Whitehouse Services who called the fire brigade straight away.
'A tanker was brought in to decant all the LPG, the vapours were burnt off and the area made safe,' he said.