Although numerous safeguards are in place to ensure accurate reporting, mistakes can occur. Confirmed fact errors will be corrected. The sharp smell of propane gas wafted over a good portion of central Colorado Springs and shut down several major roads for more than a half-hour Saturday morning.
Propane is dangerous because it's highly flammable.
Traffic was blocked off to avoid injury in case of an explosion, firefighters said. No injuries were reported. Eyewitnesses said a cloud of gas could be seen spraying out under high pressure. Frank Kollas of the Colorado Springs Fire Department said that after electricity was shut off to the construction site and traffic stopped, members of the hazardous materials team plugged the leak. Kollas said officials considered evacuating the area but decided that because propane is heavier than air, it had settled into the unpopulated narrow valley through which Union Boulevard cuts.