AUBURN – A neighborhood was roped off and several homes were evacuated Thursday night after a woman who lives at Gamage and Park avenues discovered a propane leak.

Gail Tarr said she returned from work about 5 p.m. when she discovered that a propane tank next to her house was leaking.

“Right when I pulled into the driveway, I could smell it,” Tarr said. “It made my eyes water. The smell of it almost knocked me out.”

The 100-gallon tank had been filled minutes earlier by Fielding’s Oil and Propane, Tarr said. Fire crews later discovered that the tank had been overfilled and a bleed valve had malfunctioned.

No one answered the telephone at Fielding’s office Thursday evening.

Tarr, who lives in the house with her husband and two dogs, remained outside and called the Fire Department. When the first crews arrived, they quickly ordered everyone away from the house and cleared nearby buildings.

Portions of Gamage and Park avenues as well as Lake Street were blocked to traffic while firefighters investigated the problem. The smell of propane drifted down Gamage Avenue and police were called to help keep traffic out of the heavily traveled area for fear of an explosion.

“We had to make a large perimeter,” said police Lt. Tim Cougle. “It’s difficult when you have to close that many streets but everyone got through it.”

For 90 minutes, Tarr remained at a store across the street from her house, waiting for word that the problem had been fixed.

“My dogs are in the house and I’m really getting worried about them,” she said while she waited.

Firefighters called a representative from Fielding’s to return to Tarr’s house and repair the damaged tank.

At about 6:30 p.m., firefighters went into Tarr’s house and a second nearby home with gauges to ensure that fumes had not built up inside the buildings. It was deemed safe and Tarr’s dogs – an English mastiff named Milo and a yellow lab named Bailey – were fine.

“I saw them stick their heads up when the firefighters went inside,” Tarr said. “The firemen brought treats for the dogs so they were very happy. The Fire Department was awesome throughout the whole thing.”