Chief Puts Training to Use, Closes 2 Valves at LPG Bulk Plant Fire
Photos by Charlie Williamson
After unloading 9000 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into two aboveground storage tanks in Darien, Ga., the driver of a tractor-trailer pulled away without disconnecting the delivery hose.
As the hose broke away from a valve, it ruptured a 3-inch pipe under the tanks in the yard of the Brunswick Gas Fuel Company on U.S. Highway 17. The driver stopped and stepped down from the cab to find himself standing in a waist-deep vapor cloud fed from the broken pipe.
‘Hie vapor ignited in a few seconds. Flames flooded the cab of the truck, owned by the Good Housekeeping Gas Company, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., and bounced back to impinge on one of the LPG storage tanks.
Fire fighter gives alarm
Vince Lanasa, assistant chief of the Darien-Mclntosh Volunteer Fire Department, and Fire Fighter David Bluestein, w-ho were working across the street, gave the alarm about 10 a.m. last January 30 and brought the first equipment to the scene. Chief Melvin Amerson, who is also assistant manager of the gas company in Darien, was contacted by radio while driving in nearby Brunswick. He reached the scene in 10 minutes.
“Coming across the bridge into Darien,” remembered Amerson, “I sawblack smoke billowing above town. I assumed the tar-coated roof of the office building was on fire, but come to find out, it w-as the tires on the tractor-trailer that were burning and causing the black smoke. A BLEVE was always a 100 percent possibility in my mind.
Real giant step
“Flame from the broken pipe under the storage tanks was blowing into the tractor cab and off the cab back onto the nearest of our aboveground tanks. The tanker had been emptied just before ignition took place and was thus filled with vapor and very dangerous,” the chief stated. “When I went through the Georgia Fire Academy, they taught us a gas fire attack using seven men. I put three men each on two 2 ½-inch hose lines with a master-man in the middle. They put out a water fog to keep the fire rolling so few or no flames were hitting me directly as I went in wearing protective clothing to shut off two valves.
“The gas company sends men to service school each year and instruction includes what to do in the event of a fire of this nature,” added Amerson. “Our experience here was pretty much like they teach in the classroom. The basic difference was that here I was the main man required to take a real giant step. Instead of being here to watch it, I was here to do it. Thankfully, I had been well-trained. I just let my mind go blank because I knew what had to be done—and went ahead and did it.
“Once the gas flow was shut off and we had everything cooled down as much as possible, we separated the tractor and trailer and had the trailer towed to a desolate spot 4 miles outside of town. Georgia Forestry is most cooperative with us,” commented Amerson. They had a dozer here in 20 minutes to move the burning tractor away from the trailer. Then a fellow here in town who has a leased tractor put it under the empty trailer and towed it out of the downtown area.
“We never did have an explosion,” concluded Amerson. There was no tank rupture. The gas that was in the air ignited and burned out of control for the time it took us to get in close and shut off two valves—about 35 minutes.”
No one was injured in the fire, but property damage was estimated to be in excess of $50,000. □ □
