LIVERMORE FALLS — Cumberland Farms on Main Street reopened Thursday morning after an odor of propane caused by a low level of gas in the tanks closed the store overnight.

Firefighters were called to the store at 10:21 p.m. Wednesday for a reported gas leak, fire Chief Gerry Pineau said Thursday.

The store was evacuated and firefighters tested to see if the limits were livable and not explosive, he said. 

They determined that the level was not flammable, but the store remained closed until the propane company could arrive Thursday morning to check the burner and tanks and fill them.

Pineau was notified that the store reopened about 8 a.m. Thursday.

Assistant fire Chief James Butler and several firefighters responded to the call Wednesday night.  Pineau thought the store used propane for heat and some coolers.

The tanks were close to being empty, and you could smell the gas, he said. He said the smell is similar to that of a gas grill.

Propane is heavier than air, and the dangerous part is when an amount settles and collects in an area. Something like lighting a cooker or even a cellphone call has the potential for setting off an explosion, he said.

The clerk did the right thing by notifying the Fire Department and having them check on it, he said. It’s not something to mess around with. Even a one-pound cylinder is enough to blow up a garage because it’s a pressurized vapor.

That’s why there’s a building code which bars gas grills from being used inside a home.

When firefighters do determine gas fumes in a building are at a level that’s explosive or unlivable, they shut the source off, vent the building and wait until the gas has dissipated, he said.

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