Residents allowed back in homes after gas leak

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. (WSVN) -- A gas leak that forced residents to evacuate their homes has been burned off.

"The whole road was lined with fire engines and trucks and police and nobody can get in or out so basically they just said, you can't, just park somewhere and walk," said Robert Maddux.

Firefighters evacuated the area near 5555 N. Ocean Drive and shut down A1A after propane gas in an abandoned, underground 500-gallon tank was leaking, Thursday afternoon. Hazmat Teams stayed on the scene through Friday morning until the natural gas was successfully burned off.

Residents from the Ocean Bay Club apartments and Village of Sea Ranch Lakes were allowed back into their homes as the scene cleared around 11 a.m.

The closure of A1A caused heavy traffic delays during the morning commute. The roadway has since reopened.

Officials are investigating.

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