Be Cautious where you store your propane...READ THIS

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http://www.southam.com/calgaryherald/newsnow/cpfs/world/991211/w121165.html

Michigan man blown up by fuel he was stockpiling for Y2K

BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A man who was stockpiling food and fuel to prepare for possible Y2K problems escaped serious injury after some of the propane gas he was storing in his basement exploded.

The Friday blast pushed out sections of the cement-block foundation, bowed walls and sprayed shards of glass over Alonzo Anderson's lawn but he had only singed hair and a burn on his cheek.

"I don't know how he survived," said Lieut. Ken Doroh of the Benton Township Fire Department.

Officials said the explosion was caused by gas leaking from one of several propane tanks Anderson planned to use for heat if utilities failed Jan. 1.

Anderson was in his basement with the tanks and other supplies when the explosion ripped through the structure, Doroh said.

"It basically lifted the house and blew out the (foundation) walls," he told the Herald-Palladium newspaper of St. Joseph, Mich.

"The picture window was blown to the street."

The explosion occurred when the highly flammable gas leaking from one of the propane tanks reached a spark or some other ignition source, Doroh said. The tanks did not explode but the gas that had leaked out did.

Berrien County's Hazardous Materials Team evacuated nearby homes until the tanks and other dangerous materials were removed. Anderson's house remained standing but the township has condemned it because it could collapse without warning.

...

B) The Canadian Press, 1999

-- Rod (rspain@webcombo.net), December 13, 1999

Answers

This dovetails nicely with the couple of past stories about Y2K cash stashes being stolen. Never mind that the guy was apparently a total idiot for storing propane bottles in the basement. The message? You're a boob if you prepare, thinking that Y2K is going to be a major event in your life.

Look for this story to hit all of the national news networks today, as well as Letterman and Leno under the heading of stupid Y2K tricks. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzsnorezzzzzzzzz

-- Nom (nom@de.plume), December 13, 1999.


Yeah, they must have been waiting for a dip shite like this so they could further make us look stupid. I wonder if an propane explosion in your basement is covered by fire insurance....LOL

Oh well....who cares anymore....bring on New Years Eve.....so I can hurry up and plan my summer houseboat trip to Shasta.

-- C. Hill (pinionsmachine@hotmail.com), December 13, 1999.


A good reminder. All of our propane is either in the tanks provided by our propane supplier or in our storage shed located a good distance from our house and garage.

FYI, Menards (among others) sells "Propane/Combustible gas detectors" for around $40. They plug into the wall socket - apparently they consume too much energy to run from batteries. This devices appear to be quite sensitive - I tested it using a hand held propane torch. Also - the other night it went off while I was standing close to it. Couldn't figure out why it was beeping. Then I realized that I had been cleaning my hands with a knock-off brand of 'Purell' (the hand sanitizer). I checked the labled and sure enough - 'flammable'. The detector was sensing the fumes from the hand cleaner.

People need to remember that propane is heavier than air and will seek the lowest possible area when it escapes from a leak. For many of us with basements, we need to realize that the basement makes an ideal and dangerous 'collection' facility.

Finally, you can use a spray bottle filled with very soapy water to test connections for leaks. Just spray around connectors and look for bubbles.

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), December 13, 1999.


Nom, quick, send this to David Letterman--maybe it will begin a movement to ban the production of all gas, obviously very unsafe stuff. (There were many more articles about such explosions but I liked this one because it took place in Canada as well.)

Toronto, Friday, 29 January 1999

Gas plant explosion in Taylor, BC - The Salvation Army assists evacuees

Wednesday, January 27 1999 two major methane explosions at the Solex Gas Liquids plant in Taylor, northeastern British Columbia, caused a local state of emergency to be declared and the community to be evacuated. At 12.35 p.m., Lieutenants Michael and Tania Spears, stationed in nearby Fort St. John, heard the news of the explosions and immediately contacted their emergency social services coordinator and divisional headquarters. Lieutenant Spears reports that The Salvation Army in Fort St. John was able to put an emergency response team of four into action within the hour.

The families who had to leave their homes were assembling at a reception centre set up at the Christian school in Fort St. John, while schoolchildren from Taylor were being looked after at the school in Baldonnal. Salvationists were at both locations, serving snacks, sandwiches and drinks, handing out colouring books and bibles, helping provide baby supplies, and consoling and comforting the anxious residents.

Later that night the restrictions were lifted and all the residents could return to their homes. The reception centres closed their doors on a very busy day at 10 p.m. The Salvation Army is grateful for the support of Subway, a local restaurant, Chatters, and an anonymous neighbour, for donations of food, but as Lieutenant Spears writes, "All the food donations simply came, and volunteers just came and helped. We thank God for his help in this situation." He adds, "The incident is still under investigation. The bad news is that 14 people were injured, but only two are still in the hospital because of burn injuries."

-- Life (is@a.gas), December 13, 1999.


Based on a recent US Consumer Products Safety Commission Report and available Canadian data,* of 475,000 home fires, over 43,000 were attributed to the electrical system.

Arcing faults are one cause of these fires that resulted in 350 deaths, over 1700 injuries and over $700 million in damages.

Now there is new technology available that can help prevent many of these devastating fires.

* In Canada, according to the most recent statistics, in 1995 there were a total of 64,251 fires. Twenty percent of these fires were caused by electrical faults. Of the total fires, there were 25,747 residential fires, causing $525,296,689 in property damage.

Source: 1995 Annual Report of the Canadian Association of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners and available North American industry data.

Wow, Nom, you think we should disconnect the electrical supply to our house?

-- Shocking (and@powerful.numbers), December 13, 1999.



Now, y'all are getting me wrong. I was using this as an example of the media putting a reverse spin on preparation - rather than saying be prepared, they are actively discouraging preparation by trotting out these examples of human stupidity in preparation.

Repeat after me: Preparation is a good thing, and should not be discouraged for any reason.

But the media (and/or their masters) would paint all of us that are preparing, and taking proper precautions, with the same bozo brush as these abject morons who do dumb things like storing propane cylinders in the basement next to the furnace. The lack of common sense never fails to amaze me. Also, in the past, people who were taking proper prep precautions (and were dumb enough to let the local TV station know about it), were painted as militia supporting gun totin' survivalists.

Be prepared. And be safe.

-- Nom (nom@de.plume), December 13, 1999.


hydrocarbons are very dangerous gases, especially in the countryside and if one tries manipulate them "amateurially".Always ask an expert first,they are like mushrooms in the wood: exquisite/deadly.

-- andrea raffaello marco besso (besso.ch@bluewin.ch), December 13, 1999.

hydrocarbons are very dangerous gases, especially in the countryside and if one tries manipulate them amateurially.Always ask an expert first,they are like mushrooms in the wood: exquisite/deadly.

-- andrea raffaello marco besso (besso.ch@bluewin.ch), December 13, 1999.

Arnie,

Could you have maybe slid a fart out without realizing it?:>)

-- Gambler (scotanna@arosnet.com), December 13, 1999.


Anyone who stores propane INSIDE their dwelling is a G**d*** fool! He deserved to have his ass blown sky high.

-- doktorbob (downsouth@dixie.com), December 13, 1999.


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