Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the new Dollar General store in Germantown is in the news again. The store, located on Route 9G, has now been ordered closed until further notice after a gas leak and resulting fire caused damage to the building, Germantown fire chief Mike Lawson said. On Sun., Feb. 28, at approximately 10:45 a.m., the Germantown Fire Company responded to a call after employees, who were stocking shelves, reported the store was filling with smoke. The problem was traced to a malfunctioning air handler system. There was no propane in the tank, following the propane leak that occurred the previous Friday night. The thermostat was attempting to start the heating system, but with no fuel, it would not start. The system kept trying until it became hot and the fire started, Lawson said. The incident was directly related to a 12-hour propane leak that occurred outside the store on Friday, which forced part of the town to evacuate. Late in the day, a Dollar General tractor-trailer struck a 1,000-gallon nearly full propane tank, leaving a gash in its side that released a 15-foot column of propane vapor into the air. The store had been open for only five days at the time of the leak. On Sunday, town code enforcement officer Sam Harkins ordered the business closed until needed repairs could be made. Route 9G was closed between Main Street and Palatine Park Road as fire crews worked. Assisting at the scene were fire companies from Clermont, Livingston, Hudson and Tivoli, Northern Dutchess Paramedics, state police, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Columbia County Fire Coordinator’s Office. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.