A couple of CRITICAL points to make:
1) Personnel are way too close,
2) POOR scene security! Not sure of the situation, but there were at least two (2) professionals on the scene, and neither appeared to be clearing the area!;
3) this propane cylinder is the SAME ONE we have in our gas grills;
4) “unofficial cause” was the driver is a smoker and discarded his/her cigarette while driving down the road, and it landed in the bed of the truck, which was full of litter
I will post the “official report” once it is posted to the FD’s webpage. Watch and learn and pay close attention to exercising the relief valve on this small tank and what happens when the tank finally BLEVEs – then everyone will understand the importance of scene security!
News account…
This is one scary explosion. A propane tank in the back of a pickup truck exploded in line at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Coachella, Calif., engulfing the whole truck in flames.
Apparently, the owner heard a hissing noise and went to fix it. That’s when the first blast occurred. Soon after, the second, much larger explosion took place.
The driver suffered second-degree burns, and alarms went off all around.
The man’s family, originally in the truck, including two young sons, were also taken to hospital, but they were not seriously hurt.