Santa Rosa, CA gas station worker burned during propane fire
RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | August 8, 2016, 10:47AM
Santa Rosa, CA
A worker at a west Santa Rosa gas station suffered a serious burn when an RV caught fire while the man filled its propane tank, Santa Rosa fire said Monday.
The 5:40 p.m. fire Sunday sent black smoke high above the Jolly Washer Express and 76 gas station at Piner Road and Coffey Lane as flames quickly engulfed the older‑model recreational vehicle and dangerously heated the station’s propane distribution tank, Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Matt Dahl said.
Santa Rosa firefighters arrived in just under three minutes, coming from the Coffey Lane station around the corner. They found flames and smoke pouring from the vehicle, 10 feet from the station’s propane tank. The tank’s emergency shut off button had melted as had a plastic casing hold a fire extinguisher at the tank.
“This was quite a sight. It was a pretty significant situation,” Dahl said.
Firefighters cooled the tank and extinguished the flames.
An ambulance took the 48-year-old victim to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Bill Gregoire, 48, later told his boss that just after he noticed smoke coming from the vehicle as he pumped propane there was a flash of flames, which burned one shin and part of one arm.
“He’s doing better. He was in good spirits but it’s very painful,” said Antonio Bunting, who manages the market, car wash and gas station. Gregoire was released from the hospital Sunday night to go home, Bunting said, but the man might need further treatment to stave off infection.
During the fire employees Hector Cervantes and Alex Raygoza hit an emergency gas and propane cut‑off switch and called 911. “They stepped up, they stayed calm the whole time,” said Bunting.
Police officers closed Piner Road due to keep traffic at bay and to allow more room for the huge emergency vehicles.
An investigation determined the station’s equipment operated properly and staff followed required safety steps, said Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Ian Hardage. The problem appeared to be a leak in the RV’s propane line, apparently at its refrigerator, leading to the fire. But the extensive damage precluded a definitive conclusion, Hardage said.
“It’s a gas station. There are inherent hazards. But all the precautionary devices that are installed operated flawlessly. It could have been a very much different story had the equipment on site been maintained in similar fashion as the RV,” Hardage said.