Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Germantown businesses, including the newly opened Dollar General, reopened and and residents had returned to their homes, Sat., Feb. 27, after a 12-hour propane leak outside the store forced part of the town to evacuate, fire officials said. A Dollar General tractor trailer struck a 1,000-gallon nearly full propane tank at about 4:20 p.m. on Feb. 26, leaving a gash in its side and releasing propane vapor at 4301 Route 9G, Germantown fire chief Mike Lawson said. The store had been open for five days at the time of the leak. Fire officials requested mutual-aid assistance from neighboring fire companies after realizing the severity of the leak, and Route 9G was ordered closed between Palatine Park Road and Main Street, Lawson said. Germantown Deputy Supervisor Austin Sullivan declared a state of emergency so officials would have faster access to necessary tools and materials, Lawson said. First responders sprayed approximately 90,000 gallons of water on the tank Friday night to keep it cool or potentially freeze the opening to stop the leak, the chief said. Residents were able to return home before midnight, and Route 9G was reopened to traffic at about 4 a.m., Saturday. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.