They told us to get out'; Fear of an explosion from a gasoline leak clears out a community; Towson spill forces road, store closings, evacuation of homes; Concentrated gas fumes; Amoco station tank loses 4,000 gallons; damage is minimal FINAL Edition

• Published in: The Sun (Baltimore, Md. : 1837)
• Main Authors: Willis, Dail, Sun staff writers Heather Dewar, Paula Lavigne, Jamie Smith and Ron Snyder contributed to this article
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore, Md Tribune Publishing Company, LLC 25.06.1998
• ISSN: 1930-8965

Fears of an explosion emptied homes, shuttered stores and closed busy roads yesterday after 4,000 gallons of gasoline spilled underground at an Amoco station near a bustling intersection east of Towson. Roads around Loch Raven Boulevard and Taylor Avenue were cordoned off until late afternoon, and dozens of residents were evacuated to a nearby high school while firefighters flushed miles of storm drains to clear the vapors. Businesses in three of the intersection's shopping centers closed for much of the day. Slightly more than half of the spilled gasoline was caught in a graveled underground containment area beneath the station, where environmental workers vacuumed it out. By late yesterday afternoon, about 900 gallons of the 4,000-gallon spill remained unaccounted for, according to Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Quentin W. Banks.