Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...

Little General Store September 2008
Executive Summary
On January 30, 2007, a propane explosion at the Little General Store in Ghent, West Virginia, killed two
emergency responders and two propane service technicians, and injured six others. The explosion leveled
the store, destroyed a responding ambulance, and damaged other nearby vehicles.
On the day of the incident, a junior propane service technician employed by Appalachian Heating was
preparing to transfer liquid propane from an existing tank, owned by Ferrellgas, to a newly installed
replacement tank. The existing tank was installed in 1994 directly next to the store’s exterior back wall in
violation of West Virginia and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations.
When the technician removed a plug from the existing tank’s liquid withdrawal valve, liquid propane
unexpectedly released. For guidance, he called his supervisor, a lead technician, who was offsite
delivering propane. During this time propane continued releasing, forming a vapor cloud behind the
store. The tank’s placement next to the exterior wall and beneath the open roof overhang provided a
direct path for the propane to enter the store.
About 15 minutes after the release began, the junior technician called 911. A captain from the Ghent
Volunteer Fire Department subsequently arrived and ordered the business to close. Little General
employees closed the store but remained inside. Additional emergency responders and the lead
technician also arrived at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing two responders and the two technicians in
the area of the tank, likely inside the propane vapor cloud, minutes before the explosion.
Minutes after the emergency responders and lead technician arrived, the propane inside the building
ignited. The resulting explosion killed the propane service technicians and two emergency responders
who were near the tank. The blast also injured four store employees inside the building as well as two
other emergency responders outside the store.
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