DAMASCUS – An afternoon fire at a propane tank refurbishing shop on Tuesday kept firefighters busy into the night and sent a worker to hospital with burns on 30 per cent of his body.
Wellington North Fire Chief Dave Guilbault said the department was called at about 3:40pm on March 26 for a report of a fire and explosion just east of Damascus on Line 6.
“When firefighters arrived, the building was fully engulfed and there were propane tanks exploding,” said Guilbault.
Firefighters from Arthur, Mount Forest and Grand Valley were on the scene, but due to the nature of the blaze, they couldn’t get close.
Guilbault said the 32 firefighters on scene used a defensive strategy, hosing down propane tanks to keep them cool and prevent further explosions.
He added the fire never reached the nearby house.
Homes in the immediate vicinity were temporarily evacuated as a precaution in case one of the propane tanks exploded and became a projectile.
Damage to the shop itself was extensive, and one worker was injured, receiving third-degree burns to 30% of his body.
The man was first taken to Louise Marshal Hospital in Mount Forest, then airlifted to a Hamilton burn unit. An OPP news release on March 27 stated the man was in stable condition, despite the injuries.
No firefighters were injured battling the blaze. Guilbault, who said the last fire truck left the site shortly after midnight, estimates the damage at about $300,000.
Noting a 50-by-100 foot building was destroyed, Guilbault added it is still early and the damage total may be higher.
The shop, which refurbished propane tanks, had over 100 tanks on the site, ranging in size from those used for barbecues to 1,000-pounders, Guilbault told the Advertiser.
He stressed there was no propane filling carried out on the site.
The day after the blaze, the fire chief said the site was busy with numerous investigation crews, including officials with the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal, the OPP and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).
