A fire that led to multiple explosions at a Douglasville propane and gas company has been deemed accidental, officials said.
An initial fuel air explosion was reported about 8:40 p.m. Thursday under a propane transfer station on the ground level of Blossman Propane and Gas Appliance, Rick Martin, a Douglas County spokesman, said Friday in a statement.
At the time, an employee was refilling 143 33-pound bottles with propane gas on the back of a flatbed truck, according to the statement.
“That’s where the origin of the fire occurred,” Martin said.
The initial explosion set off additional ones, leading to damage in excess of about $400,000, he said.
Workers could be seen Friday inspecting huge tanks at the company, which is located on Ga. 5.
The state insurance commissioner’s office, which regulates propane in the state, also had hazardous materials inspectors on the scene, spokesman Glenn Allen said.
It was a calmer scene than the one witnesses described Thursday after the blast sent flames in the air.
“You could just hear boom after boom after boom,” witness Corey Young told Channel 2 Action News. “Every time, the flames would just get higher and higher. It was crazy.”
Others felt the ground shake and saw debris flying in the air.
“It shook the building,” witness Cord Robbins told the news station. “We ran out and saw balls of fire.”
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
No one was injured. However, nearby residents and businesses were evacuated. Douglasville police closed Ga. 5 between Ga. 78 and Gurley Road. And drivers were urged to avoid the area.
Since then, the blaze has been extinguished and roads have reopened, according to Douglasville police.
Nearly 20 years ago, there was another explosion involving the same company, according to Channel 2. A truck hauling propane exploded at the company’s Coweta County site in December 1999. A chain-reaction set off several more explosions, but no one was hurt.
