By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Officials are continuing to investigate an incident involving a propane leak that occurred around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at a residence on Quoggy Jo Lake Road.
“We received a call from a delivery driver reporting a tank had caught fire while he was trying to fill it with propane. We responded to investigate,” said Deputy Chief Rich Wark, of the Presque Isle Fire Department.
Upon arrival at a camp owned by Chad Graham, firefighters found the fire had been put out with a fire extinguisher.
“The driver developed health problems that required us treating him at the scene until Crown Ambulance arrived,” said Wark.
The site was secured and no other injuries were reported.
“We cleared the closest camps — made sure no one was home. The wind was blowing, so the propane dissipated quickly,” he said.
Wark said the tank was unhooked from the truck but that a minor spill did occur.
“What was left in the tank leaked out — about 25-30 gallons. DEP was contacted and responded to monitor the air quality,” said Wark.
The truck is owned by Daigle Oil Company.
“Daigle technicians were on scene and assisted with bringing the incident under control,” said Wark.
Wark said state officials will be further investigating the incident.
“Members of the state Fuel Board and Fire Marshal’s Office will be investigating, due to an injury occurring,” said Wark.
“We had about eight people respond. We also received assistance from the Presque Isle Police Department,” said Wark.
Firefighters cleared the scene around 10 a.m.
A DEP official said residents have no reason to be concerned.
“Outside of the injury, it wasn’t very serious. It involved a small 100-pound cylinder. Normal procedures were followed,” said Jesse Clark, oil and hazardous materials responder with the DEP.
Clark said residents may detect an odor for a day or two, but that’s due to the chemical mixed with propane to give it a detectable odor.
“We monitored the site for about an hour and a half to ensure there was no chance of flammability and determined the area to be safe,” said Clark.
