Cause of house explosion linked to propane

Thursday, February 16, 2006 - Blue River

Fire investigators today found the cause of an explosion that burned an unoccupied house yesterday afternoon in Blue River. The explosion was heard throughout the neighborhood and shook workers on a scaffold three houses away.

Fire Investigator Lt. Jay Nelson said that the cause was due to a propane tank regulator attached to the house that was encased in ice. The ice shifted, either because of fluctuating temperatures or from snow or ice falling off of the roof and caused the pipe going into the house from the regulator to break. At that point, Nelson said, propane leaked into the house and an electrical spark ignited the propane, which caused the explosion.

"If the house had been occupied, someone would have smelled the propane leak long before an explosion," Nelson said. "The important safety message to learn from this unfortunate situation is to keep your gas regulators and tanks free from snow and ice," he said.

Red, White & Blue urges citizens to leave their house immediately and call 911 if they encounter an unusual smell. Propane is an odorless gas, but has an additive put in that smells like rotten eggs so people can detect it.

The house, located at 326 Mountain View Ln. in Blue River, was a second home to a family in Denver. The detached garage was saved and is fully intact. Damage estimates are yet to be determined

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Press Contact:
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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