[Music] Narrator: At 10:53 a.m., on January 30, 2007,
a propane gas explosion destroyed the Little General convenience store in
rural Ghent, West Virginia, near the city of Beckley. The blast killed two propane service technicians and
two emergency responders from the Ghent Fire Department. A volunteer firefighter was seriously injured,
as were four store employees, who were inside the store
when the gas ignited. West Virginia State Fire Marshall,
Sterling Lewis, recalls the day of the accident. Lewis: It was a scene that,
that was horrific to me, because of the familiarity that I had
with the area growing up there for 52 years. There was a tremendous amount of carnage. We had firefighters down. We had civilians
that were down. Bresland: I believe the main reason
that we investigated this accident was that there was a tragic,
unnecessary loss of life. Hall: In this case, we had two
emergency responders that were killed and two propane technicians in
a seemingly routine operation. And from that standpoint, the CSB thought it was important to uncover the
root causes and find out why these people died. Bresland: Nearly 30 minutes elapsed
between the release and the explosion. If there'd been an evacuation during those 30
minutes, all of the lives would have been saved. [Music] Narrator: The Little General gas station and
convenience store was located on Flat Top Road in Ghent. Inside the wood-framed building, the
store sold soft drinks, magazines and snacks, as well as pizza, which was
cooked in two propane-fired ovens. In 1994, the Southern Sun Company installed a
500-gallon propane tank against the back wall of the store. Southern Sun sold its propane
business to Ferrellgas in 1996. The logo on the tank was changed,
but the tank itself was left in place. Years later, in January 2007,
the Little General Company changed propane providers
from Ferrellgas to Thompson Gas. Appalachian Heating, a local firm
selling propane for Thompson Gas, installed a new tank
ten feet from the building. There were still about 350
gallons of propane in the old tank, which Appalachian Heating intended to
transfer through a special valve hose and pump to the newly
installed Thompson Gas tank. To make such a transfer, a
technician must first unscrew a safety plug from the top of the liquid withdrawal valve
on the tank to be emptied. The safety plug has a small hole
in its side, called a telltale. If propane is
released through the hole, it is a warning that a dangerous release
is likely if the plug is completely removed. So if propane is seen, the
plug should be retightened. If no propane is
observed escaping, the plug may be removed and a valve with a special
fitting is then threaded into the liquid withdrawal valve. This special fitting
depresses a spring-loaded mechanism, allowing propane to flow through the valve
and into the hose to transfer the propane. [Music] Narrator: The CSB determined
that on the day of the accident, several factors combined to turn what should
have been a routine tank exchange into a tragedy. On the morning of January 30, 2007, two technicians from Appalachian Heating
arrived to put the new tank into service. The lead technician then
departed for another jobsite, leaving an inexperienced junior technician to
prepare for the transfer of propane unsupervised. At about 10:25 a.m., the junior technician began to
unscrew the safety plug from the liquid withdrawal valve, a valve the CSB would later determine
was permanently stuck in the open position. Propane likely flowed out
of the hole in the plug, but the technician had not been trained on
the importance of checking for the escaping gas. Immediately, as the technician removed the plug,
a jet of propane sprayed upward through the valve. A billowing white cloud of flammable
propane vapor formed behind the store. The propane struck the eves of the building and
flowed into the store through vents in the roof overhang and directly into the restrooms
through two vent pipes. The flammable gas also
defused down through the ceiling. The gas, colored grey here for illustration,
was invisible to the employees inside, but they noted the spreading
odor associated with propane. The dense vapor also accumulated at ground level
around the tank and the foundation of the building. The technician, standing in
the midst of the propane cloud, was unable to stop the
release due to the force of the jet. Over the next almost half hour, all four store employees
remained inside and the technician stayed by the tank, as others responding to
the propane release arrived. There was no evacuation as propane
continued to escape from the tank. At 10:28 a.m., shortly after the leak began,
the junior technician called the lead technician, informing him of the situation. At 10:31, the lead technician called
Thompson Gas technical support for guidance. The lead technician then called the junior
technician back and likely told him to call 911. At 10:40 a.m., the junior technician
made a 911 emergency call. Off Screen Voice: 911,
where is your emergency? Narrator: He told the operator "I need the fire
department down at the little General store in Ghent. I need a ... I got a propane leak ...
I need their help to secure the area." He went on to say,
"I work for Appalachian Heating. We've had a dysfunction in the
tanks and I have a leaky tank." At 10:43 a.m., the County 911 operator
broadcast the report of a propane leak. Dispatcher: Raleigh Control, Station 110, Station
110, you need to respond to Flat Top Road in Ghent, the Little General, across from Flat
Top Lake ... report of a propane leak. Narrator: Four minutes later, at about 10:47 a.m.,
a Ghent volunteer Fire Department Captain arrived. He ordered the store to close. The employees turned off the gasoline pumps,
locked the door and remained inside. They posted a sign on the door reading
"Store Closed Due to Gas Leak." Despite the imminent danger, no one
inside or outside the building evacuated. [Sound of sirens] Narrator: Next, two emergency medical
technicians arrived in an ambulance. They went to the tank to examine
the technician for a frostbite injury, likely caused by contact
with the liquid propane. Just after 10:50 a.m., the lead
technician returned to the scene and joined the junior technician
at the leaking tank. A short time later, another volunteer firefighter
arrived in his personal vehicle and met the others at the tank. It was now approaching 10:53 a.m. The two propane technicians
remained near the leaking tank. The Fire Captain, the firefighter and an
emergency medical technician stood nearby. The other EMT directed
traffic away from the store. The four employees waited inside. The Captain told the firefighter,
make sure everybody's out, OK? But thirty seconds later, as the
firefighter walked toward the store, the propane found an
undetermined ignition source and exploded. [Sound of explosion] Off Screen Voice: 911,
where is your emergency? Off Screen Voice: The propane tank blew up!
The building is gone! It's gone, lady. Narrator: The explosion leveled the Little General store,
propelling building fragments in all directions. The propane tanks landed
more than 50 feet away. Lewis: I remember setting there and when I
arrived, there was nothing sitting there. And that's, that's about the best way
to describe it that, that I know of. Narrator: The two technicians, the Fire Captain
and the EMT standing near the leaking tank were struck by flying debris and killed. The four store employees and
the other firefighters survived, but they sustained serious
burns and other injuries. The EMT who had been directing
traffic survived with an arm injury. [Music] Hall: The liquid withdrawal valve on
the propane tank is very rarely used. It is designed to enable propane companies
to actually empty the tank of its contents. Narrator: The CSB performed
extensive testing and examination of the liquid withdrawal valve
from the tank in Ghent. CSB investigators concluded that a
manufacturing defect, two decades earlier, likely caused the valve to jam
permanently in the open position. Only the safety plug had been
preventing liquid propane from escaping. Jeff Wanko led the CSB investigation. Wanko: This is the actual valve
from the incident in Ghent. The CSB was able to section the valve so we can take a
look at the interior mechanism and workings of this valve. We found that the hole drilled through this lower guide
was too small for the stem to move freely. Narrator: With the valve
stuck in the open position, propane was likely released through the
telltale hole when the unsupervised junior technician, who had received no formal training,
began removing the safety plug. Hall: We found that the propane
technician working on the tank was not trained in the
standard procedures for the job tasks that he was doing and that he likely removed the
plug without checking the hole for a propane leak. [Music] Wanko: The junior technician who was, who was
servicing the tank that morning had no training. He had only been on the
job for a month and a half. Narrator: The propane industry's primary training
tool is the Certified Employee Training Program or CETP. It was developed by the Propane Education and Research
Council, which was established by Congress in 1996. The training cautions technicians
to unscrew the safety plug partway and then check the telltale hole for
escaping propane for at least 30 seconds. The training emphasizes
"if in doubt, do not remove the closing cap." But the junior technician had never
received any formal industry training. In fact, only 14 states in the country have any
training or testing requirements for propane technicians. Thirty-six states do not have any requirements. Hall: The State of West Virginia currently
does not require that propane technicians be trained in how to perform their tasks
or how to perform their tasks safely. Narrator: The CSB recommended that the
Governor and Legislature of West Virginia require training and qualification
for all propane technicians. And the CSB recommended that the National Fire
Protection Association amend the national fire codes to require specific training and
testing for all personnel who handle propane. Federal OSHA regulations require
that propane technicians who perform "installation, removal, operation and maintenance work
shall be properly trained in such function." However, the rules do not define
what constitutes "proper training." The CSB called upon the National Propane
Gas Association to request that OSHA determine whether the industry's Certified Employee
Training Program meets OSHA requirements. Hall: We found that the propane
industry standard training program covers all of the routine tasks that you
would expect a propane technician to perform. However, this training did
not cover any emergency tasks and did not cover what a propane
technician should do in the case of an emergency. Narrator: On the day of the accident, neither of the propane technicians evacuated the area
of the cloud, nor did they instruct others to do so. Hall: The first priority in responding to a
propane emergency is to get people out of harm's way, to evacuate the area and
make sure people are safe and not in an area where they could
be injured by a fire or explosion. Narrator: The CSB noted
that propane technicians are frequently called upon to assist
firefighters in responding to propane emergencies. Lewis: The propane technicians are a very valuable
part, a very, a very big asset to us in this situation. We would like to know
through the fire service that these technicians are trained to the level
that they can tell us point blank, it can't be fixed; we have to get away. Narrator: The CSB recommended that the
Propane Education and Research Council revise the industry training program to include
emergency response guidance for propane technicians. The training should emphasize the
need to evacuate the scene of a release, until the hazards
are fully understood. And the Council should develop safe procedures for
transferring propane between tanks or prohibit such transfers. Lewis: I would like to know that the technicians,
when they're responding with my firefighters out there, that they're educated to
the highest level they can be. [Music] Hall: Had the tank been installed the
required ten feet away from the building, there still may have been a
large fire from this incident. However, it's unlikely that the propane would have
accumulated inside the building to an explosive level. Narrator: The tank was located
directly under the roof vents, providing a direct path for the
propane gas to enter the building. OSHA regulations and the
West Virginia State Fire Code both require that 500-gallon propane tanks be
located at least ten feet away from buildings. But for more than a decade, Ferrellgas
personnel had allowed the propane tank to remain directly against the
back wall of the Little General store, even as they refilled the tank more than
100 times since it was initially installed. Wanko: The investigation team interviewed many
delivery and service personnel who worked on this tank. All of them were well-aware of
the ten-foot separation requirement and all of them were aware that this tank was
in violation of that separation requirement, but none of them had reported the unsafe
placement of this tank to their managers. Narrator: Drivers told CSB investigators they
believed the tank location had been approved, possibly under a variance from current rules,
but there was no variance. Although Ferrellgas had twice inspected the
propane system at the Little General store in 2000, the tank was never relocated. The CSB recommended that Ferrellgas
establish an improved auditing system and an inspection program for propane systems based on
the requirements of the National Fire Code for propane. [Music] Bresland: The lesson on this is that,
that fire departments, big and small, need to train on a regular basis on
dealing with the hazards of a propane release and realize that, that the potential for
an explosion here is, is very significant. And when an explosion occurs, it
can have catastrophic consequences. Narrator: Guidance for emergency
responders recommends evacuation as the first task in a
hazardous materials emergency. However, the Fire Captain's final direction,
make sure everybody is out, came too late. [Sound of explosion] Narrator: Moments later,
the store exploded. The CSB investigation found that firefighters
in West Virginia are only required to receive four hours of hazardous materials training when
they begin their careers as emergency responders. That training directs firefighters
to take only defensive actions when responding to a
hazardous materials incident and to follow the instructions found in the Department
of Transportation's Emergency Response Guidebook. The Guidebook directs responders to evacuate the area
around all propane releases to a radius of 330 feet. For major propane leaks, evacuations should be extended
to about a half-mile downwind from the incident site. The CSB determined that the
Fire Captain had last attended West Virginia's hazardous materials response
course in 1998, nine years prior to the accident. No refresher training was required. Hall: When people are trained to perform
a task and they don't perform that task, their knowledge deteriorates over time. And so refresher training is very
important to keep that knowledge current, so that they understand the
appropriate actions to take in an emergency. Lewis: If you see that vapor cloud
and you hear it and you smell it, you need to be leaving it alone
and you need to evacuate the area. We take the vow to protect life and property;
life comes first. Let the property go
to save those lives. Narrator: The CSB recommended
that West Virginia require annual hazardous materials training for
all firefighters and EMTs in the state. The Board also called on the State
Fire Commission to require that all West Virginia fire departments perform at least
one hazardous materials response drill each year. Lewis: It's very important that the State
of West Virginia grab this bull by the horns, as you might say, and push this
training out to their firefighters. We need to do that. [Music] Off Screen Voice: ... Flat Top
Road in Ghent for Little General. Report of a propane leak. Narrator: The CSB determined
that the junior propane technician had called 911 from the
Little General store at 10:40 a.m., thirteen minutes
prior to the explosion, but he and the 911 operator did
not exchange important information about the magnitude of the release or the
potential danger to any people in the area. The only information the 911
operator relayed to the fire department was the address and the
report of a propane leak. Wanko: Well, 911 operators in the
United States use sets of guide cards, sort of a question and answer, some
pre-arrival instructions to the caller. The investigation team found that
there is no guide card specific to propane. If a propane card existed, 911 operators
certainly could have asked some critical questions about the nature of the release,
where the release was occurring, if, if propane was getting into a building
and if people were being exposed. Narrator: Answers to those
questions might have led to different emergency response
actions at the Little General store. Instead, responders drove directly into the area and the store employees and propane
technicians remained in the danger zone. Lewis: The lessons to be learned, I think from this
incident, is any time that a call goes into a 911 center, for them to relay the questions to
person calling in, to get that information, to discern what
exactly is the situation. You know, do I have a small
propane leak coming from my grill or do I have a 500 pounder that's, that's
blowing and you know, completely out of control? Narrator: The CSB recommended that the
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials develop a new emergency guide card
for propane to assist 911 operators. And the Board urged the West
Virginia E911 Council to distribute guidance about propane emergencies
to all 911 call centers in the state. [Music] Hall: The three causes
of this accident were one, Ferrellgas did not identify the
hazard of the tank location or correct it. Two, Appalachian Heating did
not train the propane technician and allowed him to work
alone on the day of the incident. And three, the propane
technicians and emergency responders were not trained to evacuate the
area immediately upon a propane release. Wanko: There are about seventeen and a half
million propane installations in the United States. Releases are occurring every day, therefore
propane technicians, emergency responders, 911 operators have to be
prepared for these emergencies. Lewis: I think one of the key
messages that I would like to, to pass along to the fire service
is every incident you go on, whether it be a propane leak, a cat in a
tree, it doesn't matter what we're going on. You have to take the same
precaution on every one, because the bottom line for everything we do
in the fire service is everyone comes home. Narrator: Following the explosion, the
Little General store was not rebuilt. Today, the site remains a
memorial to the victims. Bresland: We want to make sure that fire
department personnel, emergency response personnel, propane technicians are not killed
or injured in an incident like this. Propane is a widely used fuel, but deaths
from propane explosions can be prevented. Thank you for watching
this CSB Safety Video. Narrator: For more information on the CSB investigation
of the Ghent propane explosion, please visit CSB.gov. [Music]
Wonder how the conversation inside the store went...?
Cashier: The gas smell is even stronger now. It's almost everywhere in the store!
Technician: (poking his head in the door) Folks, there's a big gas leak right outside, behind the back wall!
Manager: We'd better close up! Can't have any customers in here if there's a gas leak.
Employee: But we should stay inside, right? Y'know, in here where the gas smell has been getting stronger for the past twenty minutes?
Manager: Of course. Just don't want customers in here is all. Safest thing would be to take cover in this gas-smelling room adjacent to the ever-growing cloud of propane'...
Cashier: Closes door and flips 'Open' sign to 'Closed'
Employee: Anyone got a deck of cards?
Almost all of the CSB videos are great, and almost all of them show the root cause is human error at some point in the line.
Really, with this accident? Sheesus. So preventable.
The CSB training vids stay on during sex
This is why regulations are needed. It is shocking how 36 states have no formal requirement for training. Why is this not a federal requirement? Propane gas is dangerous and anything dangerous should be highly regulated. I don’t want to get political here, but it is clear that businesses are always in favor of fewer regulations as it saves them money, but we all know this is a short term advantage. The cost to lives and property in the end clearly was far more than any amount of money saved, but the businesses will still lobby government to reduce them further. The governments role should be to maximize safety, not someone’s profits.
Kinda surprised there's not a second manual valve inline with the spring loaded valve.
So often on this subreddit you see events unfolding too quickly to understand, let alone respond to, and hurt or kill people and change lives terribly in an instant.
Then you have this. People willingly hanging around a gas leak for almost a half hour. A TECHNICIAN, whether or not he was trained on the specifics of the equipment surly appreciates the explosive nature of propane, standing close enough to get a frostbite injury!
Classic.
I lived about 5 minutes from there. Crazy explosive force, shook my entire house and busted windows in the elementary school right down the road.