A potential disaster was averted in Hillsville on Sept. 30 after local rescue workers cleaned up a large propane leak at Hilltop Corner Rental at the intersection of U.S. 58 and U.S. 52.

According to Hillsville Police Chief Steve Williams, a major propane leak resulted in traffic being halted in Hillsville for about an hour at the intersection after the valve from a propane leak would not shut off. The Hillsville Volunteer Fire Department was called in to hose the tank down to keep it cool, Williams said. After several attempts, Williams said one of the workers from a local gas company found a problem with a valve. After the problem was found, the valve was fixed within a couple of minutes.

“It turned it a huge leak, which is why they parked the fire truck at the Exxon station across the road and were shooting water across,” Williams said. “We evacuated Hilltop Corner Rental, Pizza Hut and Verizon Wireless and blocked the intersection until they assured us it was fixed.”

Fortunately the story had a happy ending as nobody was hurt and no property was damaged.

“The potential for disaster was there. I don’t know how many gallons or pounds that tank was, but some of the experts there said it could have been really bad if the tank had blown,” Williams said. “If it had blown, it would have been a major disaster.”

Aside from the HPD and the HVFD, Williams said Carroll EMS also worked the scene, while the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office helped redirect traffic.