NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 74

Firewatch
amidst fallen debris and wreckage
after the explosion. He reported that
one day earlier, he heard a loud popping noise from the kitchen area, but
neither he nor his son smelled gas
or discovered anything amiss when
they tried to identify the source of the
noise. Investigators reported that fires
of a similar nature had taken place in
nearby residences in each of the two
days prior.
Because of the explosion and the
earlier incidents, emergency response
personnel evacuated more than 300
residences in the neighborhood, and
the local gas utility shut down the
main natural-gas pipeline serving area
homes. Several days later, the utility
shut down its natural gas distribution
system, affecting approximately 2,800
homes, for over three weeks.
Following the explosion, a team from
the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) evaluated pipeline operations and integrity management and
identified three sections of pipe that
failed a pressure test. A preliminary
report by the NTSB indicated that the
fatal explosion was a natural-gas-fueled
explosion. The agency was investigating whether the other two incidents
were related. Fire department investigators concluded that the explosion
was due to the ignition of natural gas
by a spark from the heating system.
The house was a single-story structure occupying a ground floor area of
1,900 square feet (176 square meters).
The house was constructed with a
wood frame, with walls covered by a
brick veneer and siding.
The explosion caused approximately
$81,000 in damage to the house,
valued at $105,000. Damage to the contents, valued at $15,000, was estimated
at $12,500.

LOUISIANA
Open flame from propane tank starts
fatal trailer fire
One man died when fire ignited by
flame from a propane tank swept
through the camper trailer that he was
using as his residence.
The fire department was called to
the scene shortly after midnight by a

74 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

report of a fire with possible entrapment. Upon arrival, crews found a
trailer fully involved with fire. As
they began attacking the fire with
two preconnect hoselines, firefighters paused to remove two portable
propane tanks found just inside the
front door, then shut off a propane gas
line and removed an additional propane tank before they could complete
extinguishment.
After crews extinguished all fire,
they found the victim's body just inside
the front door. They then secured the
scene and requested that dispatch
notify the local coroner.
Investigators learned that the victim
was renting the trailer and were
informed by its owner that the victim
used an open-flame propane burner
inside the residence for warmth. The
investigators determined that the fire
started when propane flame ignited
cabinetry in the kitchen area.
News reports indicated than no
working smoke detectors were found
inside the trailer. Noting the occurrence of several heating-related fires
in recent weeks, an assistant fire chief
encouraged the public to install and
inspect smoke detection systems and
to use caution with the use of space
heaters.
The trailer had an area of 288 square
feet (27 square meters). The trailer and
its contents, valued at $2,300, were a
total loss.

GEORGIA
Electric space heater ignites fatal
house fire
One person died and a second was
injured in an early morning house fire
that began when a space heater ignited
bedding materials.
Firefighters were dispatched to
the scene at 3:15 a.m. following a
cell phone call to 911 by the injured
occupant.
Arriving crews reported smoke and
flames showing from a one-story residence. They encountered an injured
occupant at the front entrance, who,
before being transported to the hospital, indicated that other people were
still inside the house.

A rescue team was formed and went
in the front entrance, but crew members were unable to advance down a
hallway due to high heat conditions.
Incident command assigned members
of an engine company to ventilate the
room while interior crews backed out
and extinguished the majority of the
fire from the exterior.
Crews reentered the residence and
found the deceased occupant in a rear
bedroom. A subsequent primary search
of the entire structure revealed that
no one else remained inside. A third
occupant who was able to evacuate the
residence was located across the street.
Investigators determined that the
fire originated in the deceased victim's
bedroom, where an electric space
heater ignited bedding and ordinary
combustibles. The residence was
equipped with smoke detectors in a
common hallway and dining room and
successfully operated.
The house was of wood construction
and occupied a ground floor area of
2,526 square feet (235 square meters).
The fire caused an estimated $45,000
in damage to the house, valued at
$82,800. The contents of the house,
valued at $25,000, were a total loss.

PENNSYLVANIA
Hoarding conditions contribute to
fatal house fire
Large amounts of material stored
inside a home contributed to a heavy
fuel load and complicated rescue
efforts in a mid-afternoon house fire
that claimed the lives of two occupants.
A 911 call from neighbors brought
firefighters to the scene at 2 p.m.
Crews arrived to find the entire front
of the house engulfed in flames and
called for a second alarm upon learning of possible entrapment.
Firefighters laid a supply line to
the nearest hydrant and stretched a
hose to the front of the house, where
they made an initial attack through
a window to the right of the front
door. Crews were unable to make
entry through the front entrance due
to accumulated material behind the
door inside the structure, so they continued attacking the fire through the
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

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