ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — A gas leak which occurred early this morning at the Petcom Service Station at Portmore Parkway in St Catherine and which caused a major traffic pile-up is now under control General Manager for the Station Jeremy Barnes told ONLINE OBSERVER.

Barnes categorised the incident as a surface leak and said it happened shortly after 5:00 am.

“We can confirm that there was a minor spill at the station, as soon as it happened the power was switched off and it was stopped and we have sucked up the leak and what is happening now is that we’re cleaning off the surface,” Barnes told OBSERVER ONLINE adding that the emergency team were promptly called in to address the hazardous matter.

The general manager said he could not definitively identify the cause of the leak but theorised that it might have been the result of “a mechanical failure”.

“What we’re doing now is scrubbing the road to get off anything that was there and making sure that the air quality is fine again before we open the road again,” he said.

And although it has affected business the general manager said, “The main thing right now is to ensure the safety of the public and staff”.

He said as soon as the cleaning down process has been completed, which he estimates to be within the next half-an-hour, the service station will reopen for business and the road to the motoring public.

Meanwhile the police are advising the public to travel with caution and avoid the area if possible.