Emergency crews have evacuated residents in and around the 200 block of Schooley Avenue as they contend with an uncontrolled gas leak this evening.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
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Those evacuated from the area of Tuesday night’s gas leak were transported to the Wyoming Area Secondary Center cafeteria.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
EXETER — Emergency crews on Tuesday evening evacuated residents in and around the 200 block of Schooley Avenue as they contended with an uncontrolled gas leak.
About 20 or so residents of the area, primarily from the Exeter Senior Living Apartments on Schooley Avenue, were transported by bus to the Wyoming Area Secondary Center cafeteria.
Units from a number of municipalities, including Exeter, West Pittston, Wyoming, Laflin, Hughestown and Swoyersville responded to the scene around 6 p.m. for the leak.
Officers blocked off the majority of Schooley Avenue, from Valley Street up toward Slocum Avenue, while working on getting the leak under control. There was still no word at press time as to what may have been the cause of the leak, but the scene was still active as late as 8 p.m.
Representatives from the Red Cross were at Wyoming Area to assess the situation, but said that it was too early to deem whether or not the high school cafeteria would have to be used as an overnight shelter.
Medics confirmed that none of the evacuated people were in need of medical attention, and that they were coordinating with responders at the scene to get medications and other essentials to those who need them as soon as they could.
One woman who was evacuated from the Senior Living Apartments reported hearing three loud banging noises, and then a short time later police and firefighters came knocking to start evacuating.
“They said we had to evacuate immediately,” the woman said. “I grabbed my dog and I got out.”