WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A person was injured in a small propane explosion on Winter Street at Chamber Trailer Park Monday afternoon.
The explosion occurred during an attempt to blow hot air on frozen water pipes using a propane heater attached by a hose to a gas tank, Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said Tuesday.
Gas leaked out of the heater and an igniter within the heater caused a flash flame.
“We think during that process that before the propane was ignited to cause the heat to happen, it was leaking underneath the trailer and that, when it ignited, it caused a small flash fire,” Cooney said.
Cooney also believed that the heater released more propane into the atmosphere than it should have. As a result, the ignition caused all of that gas to light up at once. Luckily, it was not contained, so the explosion did not have a lot of force behind it, he said.
The injured party, who refused hospital transport, likely knelt down beside the heater outside the trailer when the explosion occurred, leading to slight facial burns, said Cooney.
Burns of that nature can typically heal without the need for targeted medical care, he added. Cooney was unsure whether or not the injured party was a tenant.
Hartford firefighters responded to the 911 call at Unit 27 in the park shortly after 12:30 p.m. Monday. Firefighters were able to suppress the small fire within five minutes using a hose, Cooney said.
“(Upon arrival,) there had been smoldering of the insulation and materials underneath the trailer,” said Cooney.
There were four total individuals at the residence, Cooney was told, but they all evacuated prior to fire department arrival.
Toby DeBattiste, owner of the property, did not respond by deadline to a message left Tuesday to the Chambers Trailer Park office.
While the flames were limited to the home’s exterior — namely underneath it — smoke accumulated within the trailer. Aside from traces of smoke, the interior of the home remained intact, Cooney said.
The explosion caused a water leak, which has been resolved, said Cooney.
To prevent additional fires, Green Mountain Power shut off the electricity for Unit 27 until a licensed electrician can determine whether there is damage to the electrical system.
The Fire Department warns against heating household pipes without a professional present, said Cooney. Still, such fires still tend to occur a couple times each winter.
“People trying to thaw their own pipes are using different kinds of heating equipment to make it through these cold-snap temperatures that we have and sometimes accidents happen,” said Cooney.