Residents Evacuated During ‘Unsafe’ Sewer Gas Leak, FD Says

A Ramsey home was evacuated Sunday evening as borough and county emergency responders cleared out a gas leak in the sewer system underneath Norman Drive.

The Ramsey Fire Department responded to a call Sunday from Norman Drive residents complaining of a gas smell in their bathroom, Chief Randy Sterbinsky said Sunday night.

“Responding units found strong odors of gasoline coming from several sewer manholes that were in the area of the residence,” Sterbinsky told Patch.

The RFD evacuated and vented the home while Bergen County Haz Mat crews investigated the extent of the sewer system leak, officials said.

“Numbers were extremely high and unsafe,” Sterbinsky said.

Crews “diluted” the problem by pumping water into the sewer system and flushing out the spilled fuel, he said.

The neighborhood was deemed safe after about two hours of pumping, and residents were allowed back into their home, Sterbinsky said.