Goodness. Another house has blown up!! There was one that went up a few weeks ago and early this week a second home self destructed not more than 4 city blocks from my home. Only small pieces and charred ruins remain.
Their propane tank devloped a leak, possibly caused by one of their dogs tripping a valve 
unintentionaly, and the man and his wife were caught inside and their son blown clear. They say that the force of the explosion blew the roof off and the weight of the roof landing on the home crushed it just before it burst into flame. It's another one of those why? What ever were they thinking??? They, the husband and wife, re-entered the home in an attempt to 'fix' the problem and turn off the water heater. The spark caused by shutting down the water heater ignited the propane and boom. Propane gas is heavier than air and will pool in the lowest areas of the home. There was no worse move for them to have made.
Please, people, if you suspect you have a gas leak especially propane, GET OUT... F A S T. Do not turn on a light, do not try to check it out for yourself, do not close the door, do not open a window, do not use the telephone or your cell phone, do not wait inside for help. While natural gas is more difficult to ignite, propane can ignite from the smallest electical spark... even static electricity is deadly. GET OUT.
This couple has been airlifted to the burn unit in Syracuse. Their lives will never be the same.
Comments (8)
WOW. That is scary! We don't have propane in the house, but in the camper. I'll be more conscious of this in the future, thanks to you.
Nice background! It looks like a quilt made from old kimonos!
That propane story is scary! We are told to be careful of things like that after earthquakes. If we have to evacuate, we are told to shut off the electricity before leaving in case there are gas leaks that could set off explosions from electric sparks.
Wow, that's scary. We only use wood for heating and I hadn't thought about having that problem. I hope everyone is ok.
A good reminder for safety. Hope the folks make out alright in the end.
MG
That is extremely scary. I wonder if the propane tanks on grills are as dangerous? My husband has a very bad habit of forgetting to turn off the valve after cooking out. He can't seem to smell it, either.
I used to have a small pickup truck that ran on Propane or gasoline. I always had to be careful when I fulled the truck at the propane place. Scary stuff. I hope those folks will be ok.
That's a horrifying story! I'm so sorry for them.
That is just awful! But I have to say my husband would have tried to of found the problem also. Crazy!
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