Gas main fire in Hillsborough, N.J. forces evacuations, authorities say

A gas main fire in Hillsborough, New Jersey, was finally put out Thursday after burning for nearly 17 hours and forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Video shows the flames shooting out of a sewer on Millstone River Road in Somerset County. 

Hillsborough police were called about a downed electrical wire that sparked the fire at around 10 p.m. Wednesday and later discovered a gas leak in an underground PSE&G pipeline was fueling the flames. 

The fire was out by 2:40 p.m.

Officials said the repair work was expected to last into the night, but had no word on how long it would take. They said those who were evacuated should be able to return while the work continues.

"It's safer to keep it on fire"

Fire officials said they were intentionally allowing the fire to continue burning as PSE&G crews worked to reduce pressure in the gas main in order to turn off the valve.

"We can't put it out so it's safer to keep it on fire. They're letting the gas go down, so they're shutting down the valves all over the place," said Deputy Fire Chief John Yanko.

The situation was contained once crews arrived on the scene, authorities said.

7 homes evacuated

Seven homes were evacuated and Millstone River Road was closed between Claremont Drive and the Millstone River Road Bypass, according to officials. 

"Fire Chief Chris Weniger noted that the evacuations were conducted out of an overabundance of caution to ensure resident safety while the fire continues to burn," a statement on the township's website said. 

Homeowners were grateful there were no injuries. 

"Our power started flickering and then right after that I just noticed the sky, flickering in pink and red and white, and I thought the world was ending to be honest," Julia Filja said. 

"Lights kept flickering and then at one point everything just went out," Alban Filja said. 

There were no reports of any residential property damage.