50° P/SUNNY, Spectacular explosion injures two, damages neighborhood
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 4:19 p.m.
A Fort Bragg man was critically injured Monday in a propane explosion in Cleone that ripped the walls of a home from its foundation, threw a beam though a neighbor’s roof and shattered windows in structures 1,000 feet away, officials said.
“It’s surprising he’s still alive. That force had to be incredible,” said Fort Bragg Fire Chief Steve Orsi.
The name of the injured man, a caretaker for the property, has not been released. He was flown to a burn center because he’d suffered burns over 20 percent to 30 percent of his body, Orsi said.
The caretaker went to the house on Mill Creek Road at about 9:20 a.m. to investigate a neighbor’s report of a propane leak.
After first smelling propane, the neighbor had determined that the propane tank had gone from 60 percent full to 30 percent full over the weekend, Orsi said.
The neighbor phoned the caretaker with the information.
When the caretaker arrived and opened the door Monday morning, the concrete block house exploded, knocking some walls off the foundation and igniting a fire.
The force also knocked out windows in at least seven other homes and a restaurant and threw plywood into the tree tops, Orsi said.
A beam flew through a neighbor’s roof, crushing a refrigerator, he said. The neighbor suffered minor cuts, but the side of his home looked like a bomb had hit it, Orsi said.
“I can honestly say I have never seen anything like that, he said. “How lucky we are not to have bodies everywhere.”
Cal Fire officials are conducting an investigation, said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Rusty Noe.
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Comments
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October 7, 2008 12:16:22 pm
RE: Link
Billy-Bob the caretaker shoulda put out his joint before entering.
October 7, 2008 2:46:30 pm
mike & zork- you two are idiots. The caretaker was doing his job and many more people could have been seriously hurt. Great story and pictures Press Democrat! Thank you! This is the talk of the town and finally can see the damage without having to drive out to Cleone.
October 7, 2008 6:59:23 pm
Biggest thing to hit FB since Union Lumber left.
October 7, 2008 9:00:40 pm
How very sad that you two can take a persons misfortune and make crude remarks like this. A man was seriously injured and all you can do is try and find humor in it. What is going on (or not going on) in your miserable little lives that you have to make sick remarks the way you do? Did it ever occur to you that accidents do happen? Probably not, with your head stuck in the sand or up each others behinds you probably don't know much of anything going on around you. A speedy recovery to the injured party.
October 8, 2008 12:28:26 am
If you smell gas, NEVER turn off or on a light because the switch will make a spark that will ignite the gas.
The best thing to do is open some doors or windows to disperse the gas and call 911 from the neighbors house.
Most land line phones also have a switch that can make a spark!
This is a standard PSA from PG&E that the reporter should have put in the article to help prevent this from happening again.
October 8, 2008 1:54:56 pm
Really sad when a call to the propane company or fire department first would have prevented all of this from happining. Obviously the one neighbor smelled gas, checked that tank was down to 30 from 60% and instead of dialing 911 calls the caretaker? Not real smart all the way around. Why didn't they just turn off the valve at the tank and wait for someone who knows what they are doing to show up? Hope the caretaker recovers but I'll bet he'll be a bit jumpy opening doors for a while.
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