Propane tank burns

By Monday afternoon the Manns’ had a brand-new shiny propane tank in their Superior backyard, but at 3 p.m. on Sunday that tank was the site of a 15-foot high pillar of fire.

We’re all just happy that everybody’s safe,” Chriss Mann said.

Chriss and her husband Jason were around their home they rent from Aaron and Ronna LaPierre on the West side of Superior Sunday afternoon when a tree-cutting accident set their propane tank on fire.

Aaron and his sons had already removed two trees from the Mann’s backyard when the tree they were cutting twisted and fell onto the house, crashed into the propane tank and severed a power line.

A spark from the power line ignited the propane tank and sent a plume of fire rocketing into the air.

“I always pictured propane tanks to explode like you see in the movies, but it’s nothing like that,” said Chriss Mann.

LaPierre and his sons were using ATVs to pull the tree away from the home but Mann said that the tree twisted like a rag being rung out and toppled towards their house, landing right above her daughter’s bedroom window.

Fortunately, Mann said, her daughter was outside watching the trees being brought down and was not injured.

LaPierre went around the backside of the house with a hose and began to spray down the home to keep it from catching fire while they waited for the Superior Volunteer Fire Department to arrive.

Superior Fire Chief John Woodland said that the firefighters chopped the tree down from the side of the house to prevent further damage and began to spray down the home and around the propane tank while they let the fire burn all of the propane that was left in the tank.

“What you don’t want to put out is the propane fire because once you put it out you have escaping gas and you don’t know where it is,” Woodland said.

According to Woodland, propane is heavier than air and leaking propane will not simply disperse. Often it can settle in a low lying area and if something ignites it the gas can cause an explosion.

Homes surrounding the Mann’s property were evacuated because there was danger of an explosion but thankfully for the Mann’s and their neighbors the propane fire simply burned out. All residents were allowed back in their homes later that day.

Ten firefighters responded to the incident with two trucks. Woodland said that the St. Regis Volunteer Fire Department drove a truck to Superior to provide backup at the Superior Fire Station since the two Superior Fire Department pumper trucks were occupied.

“They did a great job, it was pretty much textbook,” Woodland said about his firefighters.

Mann said that they are very grateful for all the help they received from the fire department.

“They did a great job containing the fire,” Mann said.