By Mike Perleberg U.S. 421 was closed and homes were evacuated following a fuel leak discovery at the Youngman's Marathon in Napoleon on Thursday, May 25. Photo provided. (Napoleon, Ind.) - A gas leak forced homes to be evacuated in Ripley County on Thursday night. The Napoleon Fire Department was called to a gas leak at Youngman’s Marathon on U.S. 421 just before 7:00. Crews quickly discovered that an unknown amount of gasoline had leaked into the town’s sewage system. Napoleon Fire Chief Ron Reynolds said the fuel had leaked or spilled from a tank at the gas station either into a creek or the sewage system. “Power was shut off to the building and we evacuated the area kind of briefly,” said Reynolds. Homes around the gas station were evacuated and U.S. 421 was closed. “Residents returned to their homes and US 421 was reopened to traffic after the explosion hazard was cleared around 10:00 p.m.,” said Ripley County Emergency Management Agency public information officer Darren Engleking. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management expects cleanup to continue Friday. Reynolds said the town’s drinking water is not affected. The town shut off its pump station as a precaution.