A leaking 25,000 pound propane tank caused the evacuation of two hotels in downtown Christiansted and triggered a governmentwide response by emergency agencies Monday night.
Around 6 p.m. V.I. Fire Services ordered the evacuation of both the Caravelle and Holger Dankse hotels after Antilles Gas, the company which owns the tank, was unable to contain the leak, according to a statement from the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
The evacuation was called for as a safeguard and police cordoned off the immediate area while VITEMA activated its Emergency Operations Center on St. Croix to coordinate the government’s response.
Ninety-six guests from both hotels had to stay out of their rooms while efforts continued past midnight to contain the leak. When the leak was detected, the tank was four-fifths full, according to VITEMA.
VITEMA also contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and FEMA’s Caribbean Area Division, alerting them of the situation and requesting extra resources be placed on standby in case they are needed. Multiple local agencies, from police to the Human Services Department, were also involved in the response, VITEMA said.
Antilles Gas Corporation was also involved in the emergency response efforts Monday night
As of midnight, the tank remained under observation and police maintained a half-mile security barrier in all directions around the tank. Efforts were to resume Tuesday morning towards containing the leak and minimizing public impact.
