Propane bottle gas leak/fire senario...

[PDogSniper]

I'm in this pic somewhere. In my limited training as a firebrigade member I've been taught to approach a gas fire and contain till the shutoff valve can be isolated and shut off. In this pic you can see two hoses approaching the fire and a controller (in yellow) in the middle calling the cadance, the nozzles spread wide to, not kill the fire but to provide a cooling effect for the controller till he can reach the shut off valve visible in the lower portion of the pic....

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/peb28b9681b89e681e78de6c1633f92af/fafa1c8c.jpg

This senario went through my mind while deep frying turkey in my garage today.

My setup has a three foot gas line (which I intend to increase) from the propane tank to the burner. Suppose a leak developed at the fitting on the tank and the flames from the burner ignited the leak....

Am I correct to assume (I know there is no assumption in fires) that as long as there is pressure in the tank that the flames can't back feed to the enternals...?

If this is the case, what's my best option, besides running. I have a fire extinguisher near so should I extinguish the flames and shut off the valve or shut off the valve first....?

[oldstyle]

The danger from the tank is from increasing internal pressure which may lead to an explosion. If you extinguish the fire, you may not be able to control the leak and the escaping gas would accumulate in your garage. This could re-ignight from heat and cause your garage to explode. If you got the cylinder outside where it could vent into open space, you'd be better off.

I wouldn't fry a turkey in the garage anyway. We had two catch fire yesterday, one did moderate damage to the house.

[PDogSniper]

Originally posted by oldstyle
The danger from the tank is from increasing internal pressure which may lead to an explosion. If you extinguish the fire, you may not be able to control the leak and the escaping gas would accumulate in your garage. This could re-ignight from heat and cause your garage to explode. If you got the cylinder outside where it could vent into open space, you'd be better off.

I wouldn't fry a turkey in the garage anyway. We had two catch fire yesterday, one did moderate damage to the house.

This is my set-up. When I say in the garage it's at the door way and the door is always open. There should be enough air flow to prevent any amount of gas to build up before I were to have a chance to remove the tank. I never leave the immediate vicinity while cooking. Notice the stainless steel screen on top to prevent splatters....

Also, all the vehicles are moved outside.....

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid195/pf1a93fb2cc21ab3e757cfc728877f387/f15282a1.jpg

[oldstyle]

Wow! Michigan looks COLD! It was a sunny 77 here yesterday:cool: .

Those $30 fire extinguishers are great and can sure save the day.

[PDogSniper]

Originally posted by oldstyle
Wow! Michigan looks COLD! It was a sunny 77 here yesterday:cool: .

Those $30 fire extinguishers are great and can sure save the day.

Yea, it was a bit nipply here yesterday. 20/25 mph breeze and blowing snow, it was 15 degrees when I awoke that morn.... That's what makes is bit hard to cook outside. Not that I can't deal with the cold but it makes for a hard time adjusting temps on the grill or fryer...

Bragg as you may about Florida but here our house roof life expectancy is measure in years not months as in Florida...;)

[oldstyle]

Yes, but roofs are overrated anyway. ELECTRICITY on the other hand....

[Turk40SW]

one of my crew was burned last year from frying a turkey.. The hanger handle broke on the brand new fryer and dropped the turkey in the oil splashing hot oil all over him. We flew him. He's 99% healed now, but it was definitely scary for his crew who had to fly one of their own.

It isn't really the bottle you have to worry about so much. They are pretty reliable and with a quality regulator there should be small chances for problems. The real problems are from hot oil. People put frozen turkeys in which literally makes oil shoot out of the pot. People drop turkeys in. People have oil that drips down the sides and catches fire, etc.

I would worry less about the bottle, although a longer hose so that it can sit outside would be better. I would worry more about 450 degree oil.