Cedar Mountain, UT – A cabin in Duck Creek Village exploded last Saturday night while 3 people and an infant were inside. Luckily, only minor injuries were sustained and all four made it out relatively unscathed.
Cedar Mountain Fire Protection District Chief Casey Tuttle related his account of the events that night. We were dispatched about 10:50pm Saturday night to a cabin explosion. Dispatch came in that there were possibly three people trapped, they didnt know if they made it out or not. Tuttle said. They later learned there was a fourth person in the cabin.
Tuttle explained what happened prior to the explosion. The people that were living in Cabin 11 were long term rentals, so they were doing month to month rentals. They were out for the day. They came back and their pilot light was out so they called the property manager. He came over, lit the pilot light and adjusted the burner. When the burner was adjusted the flames just kept getting bigger and bigger. he said, adding that the initial report stated that all four of them were in the cabin when the explosion happened and they made it out.
Once he arrived at the scene, Tuttle was able to see the extent of the damage. We had a cabin explode, Cabin 11. There were four cabins affected. Cabin 1: the rental office, Cabin 2: on the front row, Cabin 11 on the back row directly behind 2, it was completely gone, and part of it landed on and damaged Cabin 10. Tuttle recounted. While it seemed like all four cabins might be lost, only Cabin 11 was a complete loss and Cabin 2 maintained moderate damage. Cabins 1 and 10 had minor damage.
Fire crews from Panguitch City, Panguitch Lake, Kanab, and Orderville responded along with the Cedar Mountain Fire Protection District. Chief Tuttle states that there were about 30 people on scene, including the ambulance crews. We had two ambulance crews: Kane and Garfield County. They took over patient care when they arrived and ended up calling for air medicals, so they had two classic helicopters and one airline helicopter transport all four patients. Tuttle said.
The patients were flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center. 3 were released that night and 1 was held overnight and released the next morning. Aside from a couple singed beards and a minor burn, all four of them are okay and feeling extremely lucky.
Chief Tuttle gave his statement about fire safety. I would like to encourage everybody to clear their propane tanks and their regulators. On your propane tank there is your first stage regulator and as it goes to your house there is your second stage regulator. It makes it difficult if theyre covered up but also theres a chance for regulator malfunction if theyre covered in snow due to extreme cold. So, people need to take the time to keep the regulators uncovered so they have less of a chance of a malfunction of the regulator, he said.
Tuttle also added, I would recommend everyone have working carbon monoxide detectors, working smoke detectors, and keep the primary and secondary regulators for your propane system clear; as well as clear access to your electrical panel.