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Admiral Propane, GFD Officials Reveal Fire Circumstances | Local News | greenevillesun.com

A warehouse section on one side of the Admiral Propane building at 1145 Forest St. collapsed Tuesday afternoon after propane gas seeped into that end of the structure and ignited. There were no injuries. The business had no electricity Wednesday but remained open.

Fire investigators from the Greeneville Fire Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were on scene Wednesday morning at Admiral Propane on Forest Street following an explosion and fire that destroyed one wing of the building Tuesday afternoon. No injuries were reported. A company safety official said the fire apparently started after propane gas from an overturned tank seeped into a section of the building and was ignited. Co2 Gas Cylinder

Admiral Propane, GFD Officials Reveal Fire Circumstances | Local News | greenevillesun.com

This aerial photo taken from a drone shows the scene after the Greeneville Fire Department responded to a propane gas release fire Tuesday afternoon at Admiral Propane, 1145 Forest St.

A warehouse section on one side of the Admiral Propane building at 1145 Forest St. collapsed Tuesday afternoon after propane gas seeped into that end of the structure and ignited. There were no injuries. The business had no electricity Wednesday but remained open.

Fire investigators from the Greeneville Fire Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation were on scene Wednesday morning at Admiral Propane on Forest Street following an explosion and fire that destroyed one wing of the building Tuesday afternoon. No injuries were reported. A company safety official said the fire apparently started after propane gas from an overturned tank seeped into a section of the building and was ignited.

This aerial photo taken from a drone shows the scene after the Greeneville Fire Department responded to a propane gas release fire Tuesday afternoon at Admiral Propane, 1145 Forest St.

Chalk up the fire Tuesday afternoon at Admiral Propane in Greeneville to the extreme elements that have affected so many people in recent days.

Investigators from the Greeneville Fire Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inspected the business Wednesday morning at 1145 Forest St.

About 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, propane gas vented from an overturned tank that seeped into an adjacent storage-warehouse building found a source of ignition, resulting in a blast that took down that side of the structure.

No one was injured. Greeneville firefighters and other first responders secured the scene and maintained a no-traffic perimeter on streets around the business for several hours.

Bob Wallace, the safety director for Admiral Propane, worked with fire investigators Wednesday morning.

“There will be no customer disruption as the result of this. Phones are being answered, orders are being taken and service is being done,” Wallace said.

He said subzero temperatures over the holiday weekend froze the ground where a propane tank was resting on concrete blocks.

On Tuesday, the temperature warmed.

“The sunshine warmed up the the tank and began to heat up and the ground softened the earth. It softened the soil and a concrete block tilted, which allowed the tank to tilt and it rolled over,” Wallace said.

There was a small amount of propane gas in the tank.

“When it rolled over it loosened the valve and we had a discharge of (gas). It did find its way into the building. We had a source of ignition and we believe it would have been a small heater in the warehouse,” Wallace said.

“From the discharge of the valve that was loose on the tank there was a buildup of gas in the building. There was an initial explosion (in the warehouse) supply area,” he said. “There were no injures whatsoever and no danger to the public.”

Employees in the office side of the building “got out safely. They notified their immediate manager and of course they called 911 and the fire department and they got away,” Wallace said.

“The Greeneville Fire Department did an exceptional job,” he added.

Alan Shipley, Greenville Fire Department chief, was among those who inspected the fire site Wednesday. He issued a news release Wednesday regarding preliminary investigation results.

“Our investigation revealed that a support member for a propane tank failed, possibly due to recent temperature changes. Therefore, (the tank support) was caused to overturn and damage a valve which resulted in a release of the product.

“The propane gas travelled into a nearby structure and found an ignition source, which resulted in significant damage to the structure and ignited the gas venting from the damaged tank.”

Shipley reiterated that no one was injured, “and we feel this was an isolated incident.”

“Measures are being implemented to prevent a similar occurrence from happening in the future. “To help ensure similar incidents don’t occur, fire department personnel made site visits Wednesday to local propane vendors,” the news release concludes.

Shipley earlier summarized what occurred Tuesday afternoon at Admiral Propane.

“(A) caller reported hearing an explosion and the building was on fire. Firefighters encountered heavy fire on the west side of the business, which had partial structure collapse. The fire was extending to adjacent propane tanks,” Shipley said.

Firefighters “quickly deployed multiple fire lines to cool the additional tanks while the fire was extinguished. No occupants were located upon arrival. Firefighters began a preliminary search of the structure (and) no one was located,” he said.

Other first responders worked with firefighters to ensure the public’s safety, Shipley said.

“The Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad was requested to help stabilize the structure for a secondary search. Business employees confirmed all occupants were out of the building. The Greeneville Police Department diverted motorists in the area and evacuated proximate businesses,” Shipley said.

The incident was stabilized and roads were re-opened about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The smell of ethyl mercaptan, a chemical additive that gives odorless propane gas its pungent odor, permeated the property Wednesday.

The rebuilding process in the collapsed section of the building will begin as soon and construction crew is engaged, Wallace said. There was no electricity to the building Wednesday, but calls and orders were being processed through the Admiral Propane location in Blountville.

“We will put a portable building here and have a temporary generator,” Wallace said. “It is business as usual as far as the customers we serve.”

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Admiral Propane, GFD Officials Reveal Fire Circumstances | Local News | greenevillesun.com

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