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

Little General Store September 2008
In this case, propane service technicians attempted to repair the tank only after the fire department had
secured it and removed it from nearby buildings.
2.0 Propane Release and Fire Incidents
2.1 Sallis, Mississippi
2.1.1 Incident Description
On May 13, 2007, a propane explosion occurred at the Longhorn’s Steak House in Sallis, Mississippi,
while the restaurant was closed and two propane service technicians were transferring propane from an
old 500-gallon tank into a new 500-gallon tank behind the building. The transfer procedure had been
completed and the new tank was leak-tested and placed in service. The technicians next planned to
remove the old tank (which still contained some propane) from the premises, but were unable to load it
onto the service truck. They left and returned later in the day with a trailer. As the technicians were
loading the old tank onto the trailer, it slid to one side, severing a valve at the bottom of the tank. The
technicians heard a loud noise and saw liquid propane releasing from the bottom of the tank and forming
a vapor cloud along the ground. They immediately ran toward the front of the building; the propane
reached an unknown ignition source and a flash fire occurred seconds later. Another person who was
near the front door of the restaurant at the time was badly burned in the flash fire. The building and a
pickup truck parked in front were destroyed. Local volunteer fire departments responded, and the
Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s office investigated.
2.1.2 Incident Responders
The propane service technicians were from a local propane company. Although they had already
completed a tank-to-tank transfer without incident, they immediately realized the danger of a liquid
propane release from the damaged tank. Since the propane reached an ignition source only seconds after
72