Residents in Ottawa’s south end are back in their homes today after a crash involving a propane tank forced the evacuation of most homes in Greely. Homes within an 800-metre radius of the collision on Parkway Road at Cedar Lane were evacuated Tuesday evening after the truck carrying approximately 7,000 litres of liquified propane rolled onto its side and there was a leak. The Ottawa Police Service said residents were evacuated “as a precaution” until the propane was transferred to another vehicle. Homes on Cedar Acres Drive, Cedar Lane, Sunny Court, Trebla Way, Tintern Way between Parkway Road and Trebla Way, and Parkway Road between Stagecoach Road and Stonecrop Avenue were evacuated. The Greely Community Centre was opened as a shelter for residents forced to evacuate due to the crash. In an update on Facebook at 3:15 a.m., Osgoode Coun. Isabelle Skalski said the propane was safely transferred out of the truck and residents were allowed to return home. “Big thank you to the Ottawa Fire Service, the Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Paramedic Services, Emergency Preparedness, facilities and other city staff for all you did tonight,” Skalski said. Parkway Road reopened at 4:15 a.m. The Ottawa Fire Services’ special operations chief said Transport Canada regulations required the evacuation of homes within an 800-metre radius of the crash scene. Dan Kirvan said the most hazardous part of the operation was completed once the truck was back on its wheels. “The truck was breached. One of the hoses broke off, so it did have about a one-inch hole,” Kirvan told CTV News Ottawa’s Katie Griffin Wednesday morning. “That product was coming through at one point, so you can smell the propane.” Kirvan said the Hazmat Team doing air detection and atmospheric monitoring could see the propane small was “at a level that could be flammable.” “The other thing that happens is when a pressurized vessel is compromised, you can get you can get an explosive event if there’s an issue, and that’s why it’s so big,” Kirvan said. “As we mitigate risks, we’re closing down that area because we want to get people home as quickly as possible.” No one was injured. The Ottawa Police Service is investigating the crash. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katie Griffin
