Butane cylinders and oil drums exploded in a fire at an outbuilding in Oulton Heath in the early hours of Saturday morning. The fire service says it was “incredible” that no-one was seriously hurt.
Two crews from Stone, two from Longton and the water carrier from Cheadle tackled the fire that broke out at 4.30am on Saturday, February 22.
A home-made log burning stove is thought to have been left smouldering in the outbuilding on Outlanes, Oulton Heath, where butane cylinders, oil drums and car engines were being stored.
However, due to the construction and fitting of the stove, the fire did not go out and some of the embers escaped from their container – the base of a barbecue – and set the garage alight. The flames quickly spread to the gas cylinders, causing them, and some of the oil drums, to explode.
The owner of the workshop dialled 999 after hearing a loud bang. Firefighters used one hose reel jet and two main jets to extinguish the blaze before using compressed air foam and damping down. They left the scene at 7.38am.
A similar incident took place at 5.11pm on Friday, February 21 in a stand-alone garage sited next to a property on Porthill Bank in Newcastle.
Firefighters in Staffordshire have now urged people to keep gas cylinders well away from fuel and flames following the two blazes.
Station Manager Dale Harrison, who led the Oulton Heath incident, said: “The owners of both of these workshops/garages were extremely lucky – the consequences could easily have been much worse. They were both potentially life-threatening incidents and it was incredible that no-one was seriously hurt as a result.
“People need to know that you simply can’t take any chances whatsoever when it comes to gas or fuel and naked flames. Once they come into contact, the reaction is immediate and the fire spreads rapidly.
“If you want to use a heater in an outbuilding, buy one that meets the safety regulations and have it installed professionally. I would also urge people to dispose of their gas cylinders once they have been used. On each cylinder there will be contact details of a company that can pick it up and take it away so they don’t need to be sitting around in your garage.”
In an emergency dial 999. For all other non-emergency enquiries contact: 08451 22 11 55 or log onto: www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk or www.direct.gov.uk/firekills.
