Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...
Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...
Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...
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<strong>Little</strong> <strong>General</strong> <strong>Store</strong> September 2008<br />
Figure 10. Incident tank side facing building.<br />
During the release, witnesses described seeing billowing white clouds striking the building <strong>and</strong> roof<br />
overhang <strong>and</strong> cascading toward the ground, which is consistent with the known behavior of propane<br />
vapor following a liquid release. The peaked roof of the store overhung the exterior walls. The overhang<br />
was open to allow ventilation in the store’s attic space; restroom exhaust ducts terminated inside the<br />
overhang directly above the incident tank. The open overhang <strong>and</strong> restroom exhaust ducts provided a<br />
direct pathway for propane to enter the building. The CSB found that if the tank were placed at least 10<br />
feet from the store, propane likely would not have entered the store in large quantities.<br />
5.2.1 Southern Sun Acquisition<br />
Ferrellgas’ acquisition of Southern Sun included a pre-acquisition review of Southern Sun’s business <strong>and</strong><br />
operations, which included inspections of propane systems at select Southern Sun customer locations. In<br />
addition, Ferrellgas was allowed to identify <strong>and</strong> request correction of any deficiencies discovered in the<br />
year following the acquisition. According to Southern Sun, only two propane tanks were returned, both<br />
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