10 people sickened by fumes in Sewickley Township

SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Ten people were sickened by fumes in Westmoreland County Monday night.

Officials said a truck driver’s mistake led to two families being treated at UPMC East in Monroeville.

Hazmat crews responded to the scene on Kunkle Road in Sewickley Township around 9 p.m., officials said, and discovered that a propane tank with a leaky valve was to blame.

The Department of Public Safety officials said the tanker truck driver parked his vehicle in his driveway Friday night and unloaded propane from it, not knowing that the tank’s valve was leaking.

“A neighbor knocked on the door and as soon as I opened it, it was heavy, thick gas,” Lisa Krowchak said.

Five people were taken to the hospital via ambulance, another five drove themselves to be treated. All are expected to be OK, emergency officials said.

“It was like we were in a chamber filled with gas. That was in our house and outside of our house and in the surrounding area,” another neighbor affected by the leak said.

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WPXI