A few days ago a home exploded not far from where I live.

I just read the result of the investigations into that
incident:

FREMONT &mdash A 65-year-old Fremont man remained in a San Jose hospital Monday 
after suffering second-degree burns to his face and arms when his family's 
Warm Springs home exploded and burned over the weekend.

As Charles Stacker Sr. lay sedated in an intensive care unit at Valley Medical 
Center, Fremont fire investigators &mdash with the help of agents from the Bureau 
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives &mdash determined that the Saturday 
night explosion was caused by an unlikely ignition source &mdash static electricity 
from Stacker's body.

According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_12185896

-- 
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar           "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| m...@malch.com                                     Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/               Shpx gur PQN.                |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Apr 22, 12:51=A0pm, m...@malch.com (Malcolm Hoar) wrote:
> A few days ago a home exploded not far from where I live.
>
> I just read the result of the investigations into that
> incident:
>
> FREMONT =97 A 65-year-old Fremont man remained in a San Jose hospital Mon=
day
> after suffering second-degree burns to his face and arms when his family'=
s
> Warm Springs home exploded and burned over the weekend.
>
> As Charles Stacker Sr. lay sedated in an intensive care unit at Valley Me=
dical
> Center, Fremont fire investigators =97 with the help of agents from the B=
ureau
> of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives =97 determined that the Satu=
rday
> night explosion was caused by an unlikely ignition source =97 static elec=
tricity
> from Stacker's body.
>
> According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage =
of
> the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker
> entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
>
> http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_12185896
>
> --
> |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
> | Malcolm Hoar =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 "The more I practice, the luckier I ge=
t". |
> | m...@malch.com =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0=
 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Gary Player. |
> |http://www.malch.com/=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Shpx gur PQN. =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And houses explode from gas leaks, bad wiring can cause a fire, and
you can get hit by a car crossing the street. I keep my tank in the
house. It must of been a crapy old rusted tank to leak.

on 4/22/2009 1:51 PM (ET) Malcolm Hoar wrote the following:
> A few days ago a home exploded not far from where I live.
>
> I just read the result of the investigations into that
> incident:
>
> FREMONT &mdash A 65-year-old Fremont man remained in a San Jose hospital Monday 
> after suffering second-degree burns to his face and arms when his family's 
> Warm Springs home exploded and burned over the weekend.
>
> As Charles Stacker Sr. lay sedated in an intensive care unit at Valley Medical 
> Center, Fremont fire investigators &mdash with the help of agents from the Bureau 
> of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives &mdash determined that the Saturday 
> night explosion was caused by an unlikely ignition source &mdash static electricity 
> from Stacker's body.
>
> According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
> the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
> entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
>
> http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_12185896

None in my house. The propane tanks stay hooked up to my barbecue grill 
in the yard, or stored in the cabinet under the grill. That is all year 
round, including hot Summers and below freezing Winters. I take out the 
tank stored under the grill when using the grill to prevent overheating 
from the lit grill. No fuel is stored anywhere in my house, including 
the garage, which is too full to get a car in there.

-- 

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

In article <d...@3g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>, ransley <M...@Yahoo.com>
wrote:

>And houses explode from gas leaks, bad wiring can cause a fire, and
>you can get hit by a car crossing the street. 

Yup, shit happens.

>I keep my tank in the house.

Probably not wise. Many fire marshals suggest that BBQ propane
tanks be stored outside, preferably on a concrete slab, away
from ignition sources and combustible materials.

Most places that sell tanks and refills seem to do the same,
with a locked (and grounded) cage for protection. I assume
that's required by one or more regulations.

>It must of been a crappy old rusted tank to leak.

It might have been the valve or hose -- they typically
fail before the tank casing. Or maybe it was stored in a
damp area resulting in accelerated corrosion.

-- 
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar           "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| m...@malch.com                                     Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/               Shpx gur PQN.                |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:51:21 GMT, m...@malch.com (Malcolm Hoar)
wrote:

>According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
>the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
>entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.

My bet, arc from the light switch. Most fire codes these days say
propane tanks have to be 10' from the house, even if they are buried

g...@aol.com wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:51:21 GMT, m...@malch.com (Malcolm Hoar)
> wrote:
> 
>> According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
>> the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
>> entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
> 
> My bet, arc from the light switch. Most fire codes these days say
> propane tanks have to be 10' from the house, even if they are buried

Or he hit the remote or pushbutton which started the door operator.

Malcolm Hoar wrote:
> A few days ago a home exploded not far from where I live.
> 
> I just read the result of the investigations into that
> incident:
> 
> FREMONT &mdash A 65-year-old Fremont man remained in a San Jose hospital Monday 
> after suffering second-degree burns to his face and arms when his family's 
> Warm Springs home exploded and burned over the weekend.
> 
> As Charles Stacker Sr. lay sedated in an intensive care unit at Valley Medical 
> Center, Fremont fire investigators &mdash with the help of agents from the Bureau 
> of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives &mdash determined that the Saturday 
> night explosion was caused by an unlikely ignition source &mdash static electricity 
> from Stacker's body.
> 
> According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
> the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
> entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
> 
> http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_12185896
> 
None, keeping a propane tank inside is just asking for trouble.

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:08:02 -0400, g...@aol.com wrote:

>On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:51:21 GMT, m...@malch.com (Malcolm Hoar)
>wrote:
>
>>According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
>>the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
>>entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
>
>My bet, arc from the light switch. Most fire codes these days say
>propane tanks have to be 10' from the house, even if they are buried

The NFPA calls for 10' for tanks over 125gallons [and under
2001gallons].    My 100gallon tank is adjacent to the house and meets
all codes.

http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=58

Jim

In article <r...@4ax.com>, g...@aol.com wrote:
>On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:51:21 GMT, m...@malch.com (Malcolm Hoar)
>wrote:
>
>>According to investigators, a leaking propane tank had filled the garage of 
>>the Stacker home on Camphor Avenue with gas that was ignited when Stacker 
>>entered the garage to check on a hissing noise.
>
>My bet, arc from the light switch. Most fire codes these days say
>propane tanks have to be 10' from the house, even if they are buried

I think these were small (20 pound?) BBQ tanks.

I don't believe those codes would apply here although I
suspect there are various regulations applicable to the
sale and transport of even small tanks.

-- 
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar           "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| m...@malch.com                                     Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/               Shpx gur PQN.                |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>>
>>My bet, arc from the light switch. Most fire codes these days say
>>propane tanks have to be 10' from the house, even if they are buried
>

Heck, it should be "ESPECIALLY" if they are buried.   Gas has a funny way of 
traveling underground and entering basements.

> The NFPA calls for 10' for tanks over 125gallons [and under
> 2001gallons].    My 100gallon tank is adjacent to the house and meets
> all codes.

I'm not sure just how big a 125 gallon tank is but I suspect it's the one 
that's about 5' high and a little more that 3' in diameter.    I have seen 
BANKS of them put right outside of restaurants and two put next to a home.

Maybe they use the BANKS just so they can keep them closer in.   Once the 
fuel truck comes in it's only a little more trouble to fill several tanks 
one after the other.
>