Firefighters Brave Flames to Shut Off Propane Tanks, Douse Blaze
CYPRESS — A propane fire that threatened to trigger a major explosion was put down Tuesday by firefighters who braved the flames to reach shut-off valves for the dangerous fuel, officials said.
The fire at 11:30 a.m. at JVC Corp. in the 500 block of Corporate Avenue was caused by a static electricity spark that ignited a 33-gallon liquid propane tank stacked beside a dozen other identical tanks and a 500-gallon tank, officials said.
Several blocks of the industrial district surrounding the electronics manufacturing plant were evacuated.
The fire could have caused the propane to boil and explode, which would have created “a catastrophic event, to say the least,” said Dennis Shell, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.
Firefighters soaked the tanks to fend off the fire and used water hoses to lay down a stream of protection to allow several firefighters to skirt the 10-foot flames and reach shut-off valves for the 500-gallon tank, Shell said.
Seven of the smaller tanks were damaged in the fire, with damage costs estimated at $1,200, Shell said. No one was injured.
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