A propane tank complicates firefighter’s work

Firefighters from the Hinchinbrooke Fire Department spent long hours to bring a fire under control that completely destroyed a home on the Gore Road, Thursday, December 15.

The cause of the fire, which required particular vigilance on the part of the firefighters, is unknown. Hinchinbrooke Fire Chief, Michael Krause, indicated that the presence of a propane gas tank located a few feet from the house complicated the work of the brigade.

“The response time was only four minutes and as soon as we arrived, we were dealing with a flashover,” stated Krause. “We managed to keep the tank from exploding, but we couldn’t approach the house because of the risk presented by the tank.”

Within a couple of hours the fire in the house was over. Concern over the propane tank was another story. “The fire continued to burn for more than 15 hours after the initial intervention,” said the fire chief. “The risk of explosion was minimal, but we had to keep a team on site until everything was out. It will burn itself out. There isn’t much we can do in a case like this.”

Four fire departments came to the assistance of Hinchinbrooke to battle the fire. They included Ormstown, Franklin, Howick and the department from Chateauguay, New York.

Translated by Cathleen Johnson