Propane tanks turning into missiles and exploding next to one of the busiest airports in the southwest is definitely not a good thing. That’s what happened on July 20. When Phoenix fire crews got a call about a tiny little blaze at “Bill’s Propane Service” they rolled everything they have. Air traffic at Sky Harbor wasn’t affected but ground transportation was snarled.
Flying propane tanks
Upon arriving, “firefighters not only found massive flames had engulfed the business, but propane tanks were shooting through the air.”
Planes weren’t the only thing flying around the runway of Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, as temperatures far exceeded 110 degrees.
Fire crews got the alert around 5 p.m. on July 20. “They literally become missiles,” Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade relates, also highlighting that it was a “very dangerous situation.”
🔥 Massive propane fire near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport! Firefighters battling the blaze at Bill’s Propane Service on 40th St. & Washington St. Propane tanks shooting 500 yards into the air, posing a dangerous situation. Thankfully no injuries reported. #PhoenixFire #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/tIwtSDlYZY
— Headlines (@HeadLinesAI1) July 21, 2023
By the time they got there, they found “hundreds of tanks scattered throughout the immediate area, with some landing as far as 500 yards from ‘ground zero.’”
Everyone was evacuated from homes and businesses for a one mile radius. Except for the airport.
“More than 150 firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.” They brought in somewhere between 75-80 trucks to battle the propane blaze.
Difficult to fight
Fire crews were “eventually successful, but not before at least 30 vehicles had been engulfed in the inferno.” Because of all the propane, “the nature of the fire made it difficult to fight.”
Fire crews “needed to surround the fire, cool the area down and then turn off the gas.” It’s amazing that none of the flight operations were affected at the busy airport.
“The fire, however, did disrupt the operations of the Valley Metro service, with trains being rerouted in light of the blaze.”
@DrJasonJohnson Are you seeing this BREAKING NES IN PHOENIX!https://t.co/5OHgB5aram
. It happened at Bill’s Propane Service on 40th Street and Washington Street…propane tanks are being shot 500 feet into the air. “They literally become missiles,” “Very dangerous situation.”— syzygy (sizzy-jē) (@Junicisoph) July 21, 2023
The important thing is that the danger has been cleared and it will take a while for fire investigators to nail down the specific cause.
They’re happy to report that despite all the fireworks, nobody was reported injured.
Any time you have propane involved with explosions, it’s a war zone situation with shrapnel flying everywhere.
