— by Lin McNulty —
UPDATE: 1:28 P.M. from Bryce Hamilton, FF/PM, Captain/Duty Officer (D-Shift)
Propane frost covers the Vanderyacht Propane truck following a break in the line while hooked up to the propane source.
Today at approximately 10:01 a.m., a large accidental propane leak was reported through the San Juan County Emergency Dispatch System. The propane tank has a capacity of approximately 2800 gallons. There was no flame or fire involvement. According to the Emergency Response Guidebook, Propane is considered a flammable hazardous material that is toxic to human health.
As part of Orcas Island Fire & Rescue’s (OIFR) response to this leak, a 0.5 mile radius around the spill was initially evacuated using the reverse 911 system and fire crews going door to door.
OIFR Hazardous Material crews mitigated danger by allowing a controlled venting of the gas into an open field with fire crews standing by.
This field was near the Orcas Island Airfield and all Airport Operations were shut down until the area was safe for aircraft. Orcas Airfield is now open for normal operations.
As of noon today, air quality testing on sight has deemed the area safe for residents to return to their homes in the immediate area. Residents are urged to withhold from indoor (including wood stove) and outdoor burning until notified by the reverse 911 system.
Questions concerning this incident may be directed to Assistant Chief Preysz at 360-376-2039.
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A 3,000 gallon propane tank at Vanderyacht Propane’s yard on Seaview Street sprung a leak this morning, prompting an “all-hands” response from the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office, as well as Vanderyacht personnel.
The Seaview Street neighborhood was evacuated as crews worked to contain the leak and prevent a potentially disastrous BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion).
More information will be available later, as there is currently no one available at Vanderyacht, the Fire Department, or the Sheriff’s office to answer questions and give details. As of press time (11:45 a.m.), the situation is still being worked.
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FYI: Orcas Fire & Rescue and the SJC Sheriff’s Office have issued the all clear. Residents impacted by the evacuation may return home. Residents in evac zone are asked to avoid outdoor burning and use of woodstoves and fireplaces until 8pm tonight, just as a precautionary measure.
I live at 275 Seaview St. VanderYacht Propane’s 30,000 gallon propane tank is at 300 Seaview St. I do not understand why the county does not require VanderYacht to have some sort of buffer to protect the homes close by from all their tanks. Today a 2600 gallon tank’s valve sheared off. Tomorrow it could be the huge tank. I don’t feel safe.If they have built this facility according to county requirements, then those requirements should be changed or at least looked at again. Again, I don’t feel safe.
First off, thank you to Orcas Fire and SJC sheriffs for their quick and affirmative response. Also to Vanderyacht propane for quickly sounding the alarm and taking steps to assure that emergency steps were taken in response to the incident.
With regard to the location of these “industrial” sites located near residences, it is what happens when small rural communities demand modern amenities. These zoning delineations exist throughout Eastsound. As a resident who is situated almost perfectly between two huge propane supply tanks, it is just something that you have to accept as a part of what we live with in our daily lives. A gas station, a propane tank or even the concept of having an airport situated with a flight path over a large number of homes and businesses: all part of our modern existence.
We have to trust that those businesses and operations have put in place the proper safety mechanisms and protocols necessary to protect our community – while at the same time allowing them the ability to provide the vital services necessary to keep us working/moving/living.
I, for one, trust that all parties involved are looking out for the safety of their own operations and for the safety of those of us who are their neighbors. You can look at what happened today as an indicator of a huge risk, or you can look at it as a clear example of how safe we really are- even in the face of an incident.
Nice work by all involved and I, for one, will feel safe at home tonight.
I live in this neighborhood as well. I agree that it is without doubt the most inappropriate use of land that sits in the middle of a residential area and in addition is surrounded by wetlands. Who got paid off to allow this property to be zoned for such use??? How could they be allowed to do so with no barriers or containment provisions in place, or, to even have been granted the use permits to occupy this site with hazardous materials and facilities? Many aspects of this situation raise questions in my opinion.
I also would like to thank Orcas Fire and Rescue and SJC Sheriffs for helping to keep this propane leak under control. We here at San Juan Propane received calls from both Orcas Fire and Vanderyacht Propane for assistance to help control this leak and keep it as safe as possible. That said, I would also like to thank Local San Juan Propane employees Brian Wilson and Jerry Davidson for jumping right into the middle of this situation without hesitation to help out. Also, thanks to Sami Messinger, office manager at the Local San Juan Propane plant for fielding calls from residents who smelled propane and calling people who live near the leak to make sure they received the evacuation details.
Finally, I just wanted to say how happy I am that no one was seriously injured in this incident. The outcome could have turned out to be much worse.
The VanderYacht Propane family & employees would like to thank all of the professionals that assisted in helping us keep this leak under control and the local residents safe. To the Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR), your response and calm actions were invaluable. To the San Juan County Sheriff’s office, your teamwork with all involved added professionalism and authority to the situation. The reverse 911 system was very effective & impressive. To the San Juan Propane operation as a whole and specifically to Brian, Jerry and Sami, thank you for all the assistance you provided helping us keep this leak’s risk to a minimum. We would have responded in a likewise manner if the roles were reversed.
To quickly reply to the few points brought up in this post; over the years the propane industry, through national and regional efforts, has worked ahead of regulatory bodies to develop a higher level of training and safer installations for the storage and distribution of propane. It is a testament to these training programs and safety components adopted over the years that this type of leak was safely contained within the immediate area. In today’s world of instant communication through mediums such as cell phones and the internet and the continuing education of local response teams and authorities it is great to see proper safety precautions implemented calmly and timely both at the onset of an incident and as the problem gets resolved keeping residents safe and getting them back to their normal activities in a timely manner.
Finally, we understand the concern that some residents voiced and appreciate their point of view. We also appreciate the well thought out responses that were posted. Thanks again to all that helped and to the understanding of all those that were affected.
to Driver Steve, San Juan Propane, your efforts were not forgotten, Bryan says thanks as well as I and the rest of us here at VanderYacht Propane :D
I was very impressed with the professionalism, skill, courage, creativity, and calmness-under-fire that I observed the VanderYacht folks showing during this event.
So, does that mean the Vanderyacht family plans to implement safety measures so these spills don’t keep happening – or worse – an explosion that could risk many resident’s lives? No – this is nothing but extremely poor planning and we are beginning to see some of the consequences of it. I’m not buying any of the arguments for allowing “light” industrial operations such as this in the midst of high density housing and a village which contains most of the island’s infrastructure.
And yes – as always – our local firefighters, EMTs, deputies, and other first responders, did an exemplary job of handling this and the other disasters we potentially face. I for one don’t think it’s worth risking the lives of some of our finest and most skilled people.