Propane tank explosion injures Indian Head man

Monday, June 21, 2010

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by SARA POYNOR Members of the Potomac Heights Volunteer Fire Department responded to a truck fire on Irving Place in Indian Head on Sunday. A propane tank exploded in the truck's bed, fire investigators said. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story Click here to enlarge this photo Photo courtesy MARYLAND OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL A 28-year-old Indian Head man was burned Sunday morning after a propane tank exploded in his truck bed, according to fire investigators. Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by SARA POYNOR A propane tank explosion caused this truck fire in Indian Head on Sunday, according to fire investigators.

Posted at 2:35 p.m. Monday

A leaking propane tank exploded inside a pickup truck bed in Indian Head on Sunday, resulting in a fire that destroyed the Ford F-150 and left its owner with first- and second-degree burns.

The truck's driver had arrived home around 10:40 a.m. with the "grill style" propane cylinder, when neighbors reportedly saw light-colored smoke coming from the pickup's bed, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal. Fire investigators believe the propane tank started to leak from a valve or vent because of too much pressure.

The 28-year-old driver was trying to take the tank out of the truck bed when the 2006 Ford exploded in flames, said Duane Svites, deputy chief state fire marshal.

"It was a violent reaction that ignited components of the truck," Svites said of the explosion.

Eight members of the Potomac Heights Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze on Irving Place. The fire, which was controlled in about five minutes, caused about $16,000 in damage.

The truck owner was treated at a local hospital for burns to his upper body, which were not life-threatening, Svites said.

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