Notable Propane Incidents
Fortunately, major propane-related incidents don’t happen every day. When they do happen, they tend to be big, dramatic and catastrophic, often with multiple casualties and extensive structural damage.
One of the most serious incidents is a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE), which happens when a vessel containing propane ruptures. The sudden drop of pressure causes liquid propane to boil violently and release a large amount of vapor.
On September 11, 1998, a fire at a propane refueling station in Bucheon, South Korea, turned into a BLEVE that consumed an entire city block.
SUNRISE PROPANE, TORONTO, ONTARIO
Early in the morning of August 10, 2008, a fire and series of explosions disrupted the Downsview neighborhood of Toronto. In the video above, the shock wave from the explosion is clearly visible. One Sunrise employee was killed in the explosion, and a firefighter died of cardiac arrest the following day. An investigation revealed the cause as a leaking hose used during an illegal tank-to-tank transfer of propane.
LITTLE GENERAL STORE, GHENT, WV
|
| W. Dayton Whittle, The Register-Herald |
On the morning of January 30, 2007, a gas company worker encountered a problem while transferring propane from an old tank to a new replacement tank behind a rural convenience store and gas station. A component on the older tank broke, allowing propane vapor to escape. A fire crew from the Ghent, WV, volunteer fire department and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Within minutes, propane had seeped into the convenience store. It exploded with such force that the a fire truck and ambulance were flipped over, five homes were damaged, and windows were blown out at the Ghent Elementary School. Four people were killed and five others were seriously injured.
More information:
Investigation and report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Deadly day in Ghent
Memorial slide show from West Virginia South magazine
Google News: Ghent explosion
FALK CORPORATION, MILWAUKEE, WI
The Falk Corporation is a manufacturer of industrial gears and couplings, and one of the oldest factories in Milwaukee. On December 6, 2006, employees were testing a backup propane-fueled power system. An employee reported a leak in a 30,000-gallon propane tank, and portions of the 61-acre complex began to be evacuated when an explosion ripped through the plant. Propane gas had filled a warehouse. Three people were killed and 47 others were injured. The blast destroyed an area of about two football fields and blew debris blocks away. Windows miles away were broken. Vehicles were hurled through the air, and about thirty cars were destroyed.
More information:
Explosion at Falk Corp.
Photo gallery from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wikipedia: 2006 Falk Corporation Explosion
STOCKLINE/ICL PLASTICS FACTORY, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Propane from a corroded underground pipe leaked into the ICL Plastics factory building in western Glasgow. Around midday on May 11, 2004, an explosion destroyed the four-story building, which largely collapsed into a pile of rubble. Nine people were killed, including two company executives. Thirty-seven others were injured, 15 of them seriously.
More information:
Photo gallery from BBC News
The ICL Inquiry
The ICL/Stockline Disaster
Wikipedia: ICL Plastics factory explosion
Google News: ICL Plastics Factory Explosion
KELTIE’S BUM STEER, BREWSTER, NY
Propane from a single grill-type 20-pound cylinder leaked into the space beneath a restaurant, which had been built over a swimming pool. While preparing for the evening meal on July 28, 1997, a spark from a vacuum cleaner ignited an explosion that killed the restaurant’s manager and a 25-year-old woman who was there interviewing for a waitress job. Five others were seriously injured.
More information:
Keltie’s blast shows dangers of propane
HUMBERTO VIDAL EXPLOSION, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
On the morning of November 21, 1996, an explosion ripped through a popular department store in a busy shopping district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Much of the first, second, and third floors of the six-story building were shattered and dropped into the basement. The blast was so powerful that authorities suspected it was a terrorist attack. Propane leaking from an underground pipe had been drifting into the building for days until apparently ignited by an air conditioner. Thirty-three people were killed and 80 were injured.
More information:
Final report of investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board
Report from Suburban Emergency Management Project
Wikipedia: Humberto Vidal Explosion