Cedar Hill Fire Protection District firefighters and the Jefferson County Hazardous Materials Response Team prevented a potential propane tank explosion at a Grubville home early Wednesday morning, Jan. 3, according to Cedar Hill Fire Chief Mick Fischer.
Firefighters were dispatched to a propane tank leak outside a home on Neal Drive, arriving at 2:59 a.m., he said.
“From what I understand, the heat quit working in the home and the homeowner got cold,” Fischer said. “He went out to check on stuff and that’s when he discovered the leak and called 911.”
Fischer said the hazmat team was called in due to their expertise and equipment.
“When the tank was leaking, our crew did not have the means to stop the leak, nor were they able to get a hold of anybody from the propane company at the time,” Fischer said. “(The hazmat team) was able to come out and set up a big burner. They hook up to the tank and burn off all the propane out of the tank safely.”
No one was injured and no dangerous levels of propane were found inside the home, he said.
“(The hazmat team) has a little bit more training and equipment for handling those types of emergencies,” Fischer said. “When we have something like that and we don’t have the capabilities of fully mitigating, they’re asked to respond.”
Fischer said Cedar Hill firefighters constantly monitored the home and surrounding area for high levels of propane.
“We check to see where that value is so that we know if there is a danger of exploding or not,” he said. “If a gas is too lean, it won’t burn just the same if gas is too rich, it won’t burn.”
Fischer said a representative from the propane company eventually arrived at the scene and was able to repair the leak. Firefighters left the scene at 9:57 a.m.