2009-08-06

Propane leak destroys home

By Stephanie Parker

An apparent leak in a propane line ignited a fire at 1004 Scenic Drive in Lake Medina Shores, Wednesday, July 29, destroying a 14-foot by 68-foot mobile home and displacing a couple and their two young children. No injuries were reported.

Bandera County Fire Marshal Ralph Dresser labeled the fire accidental and said personnel with the Texas Railroad Commission arrived in Bandera the next day to begin investigations. “That state agency investigates all propane-related fires,” he explained.

The family had lived in the home for less than two weeks and had run out of propane. The fire started after the tank was serviced.

Dresser estimated damage caused by the combination of flames, heat and smoke at $33,000. He said that while the trailer was not entirely consumed by the fire, the fire had burned through the roof causing major structural damage.

“I don’t think it is economically feasible to repair or rebuild it,” Dresser said, “but the fire department contained the heat and kept it above the bottom two feet of the mobile home. That might have saved some of the appliances and contents.” The couple has received assistance from Red Cross and Bandera’s Helping Hand.

Dresser also said the fire pointed to two extreme county emergencies – drought and lack of manpower in volunteer fire departments. “All the county’s firefighters are volunteers,” he said. “They leave homes, families and jobs to fight fires and receive no compensation.

“Lake Shores did a great job, but they only had two firefighters. They had to fight the fire from outside the building because you have to put on masks and go inside in pairs and there were only two of them until Bandera showed up. They didn’t have anyone to run the truck if they had gone inside.”

Dresser added, “People need to use extreme caution right now and avoid any action that could spark a fire. Because of the drought, water availability for fire departments is a major concern. Medina Lake is receding, the river is going dry, people’s wells are going dry and the water tanks at our volunteer fire departments are slow filling. It is vital to conserve water.”