Staff reports
Just after 1 p.m., on Sunday, March 22, Burton firefighters responded to a report of a strong smell of propane in a home on Poppy Hill Circle in the Grays Hill community of Beaufort County, according to a media release.
Firefighters arrived on scene and met with the homeowner who stated that they had their propane tank filled the day prior and had been smelling propane in the home since that time. Upon confirming the odor of propane in the home, firefighters evacuated two adults.
Fire crews located the propane tank outside the home with propane leaking from the relief valve. Crews secured power to the home and deployed a flare kit to burn off enough propane in the tank to bring it back to safer levels and allow the relief valve to reseat.
Utilizing a gas detector, firefighters confirmed the house was clear and were able to return both power and gas to the home.
No injuries were reported, but Burton fire officials stated that this could have resulted in a tragedy. “Once the propane and oxygen reached the right mixture, all that was needed was a spark, and this would have had a different ending,” said Burton Fire District Engineer Joel Cody, one of the first to arrive on scene. “They were very lucky.”
Fire officials encourage people to call 911 immediately if they smell gas or propane, and to evacuate if inside a building and eliminate all ignition sources.