Town of Vernon, NY – TOWN OF VERNON One man suffered burns in the second propane-related explosion in just as many days in the Vernon area, according to fire officials.
Vernon Fire Chief Scott Nell said the landlord of the cabins at 4202 Lampman Road started up the heat in one of the cabins at about 12:30 p.m., only for that to lead to an explosion due to the propane that was already in the air. Nell said the man opened up the propane tanks, but did not know there was an extra line that hadnt been property shut off by the previous tenant.
When he turned them on, he didnt realize there was a line feeding inside that hadnt been shut off properly, the chief said. Cabin No. 4 had been vacant for about a month, he noted.
The landlord then started up the pilot light on the oven.
When he pushed the starter, it exploded, Nell said. The force of it actually blew the back wall off the foundation by a foot.
The blast also blew out the windows and ripped the front door off its hinges, he said.
The landlord suffered minor burns to his face and some singed hair, the chief said. He was treated at the scene and declined hospital treatment.
Nell said there had been a bit of fire in the ceiling, and the landlord was quick enough to use an extinguisher to put it out. The responding Vernon Fire Department cleaned up the rest of the hot spots. The chief said the cabin will likely need to be torn down due to the damage.
Chief Nell said it is believed that the previous tenant may have added an extra propane line to the cabin without notifying the landlord, and that extra line leaked into the cabin over the past month. That cause remains under investigation, he said.
This was the second propane-related explosion in the Vernon area in the past few days. Fire officials said either a propane stove or a propane furnace exploded at the Quiet Valley Trailer Park on Sunday evening, sending a woman and her two young children to the hospital. That explosion also remains under investigation.