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PO Box 618, Easton, WA 98925 509-656-0324
For fire emergencies, call 911 or directly to our fire department at: 509-656-0324
February 4, 2007
Dear Kachess Area Residents,
As I am sure many of you have heard by now,
there was an explosion, followed by a fire that destroyed a house
located at 150 Mountain Home Lane in Kachess Village. Unfortunately the
rumor mill has already begun about the cause of the explosion and the
fire department's response to the incident. I will do my best to
outline the facts of the event, as we know them to this point, and give
you some ideas on other resources to check into regarding propane
safety.
The exact cause of the explosion and fire is
under investigation by the Kittitas County Fire Marshal's Office. It is
believed at this time that something caused the house to fill with
propane and that this propane was ignited causing the explosion. Pieces
of the residence were thrown over 70 feet by the explosion and it could
be heard at distances of one mile. When fire department personnel first
arrived on scene no fire was visible.
Within a short time of fire department
arrival, the first flames were visible. The house was fully involved
within minutes and a total loss. The fire department was able to
prevent the flames from spreading to a neighboring house that was
starting to catch on fire.
Since propane is heavier than air, the house
basically filled with propane gas from the basement up towards the top
floors. When the propane gas sits in the residence, it actually soaks
into the contents of the house and the structure itself. In essence,
the items in the house and the building itself become saturated in
propane similar to if you had poured gasoline on the items. With this
large amount of propane soaked into the items in the house and the
structure itself, the fire burned very fast and hot and there was
nothing that could be done to save the structure.
Luckily no one was in the house or
surrounding area during the explosion and no injuries were reported.
Members of Kittitas County Fire District 8,
Kittitas County Fire District 7 and Snoqualmie Pass Fire all responded
to assist in fighting this fire. Below is the official timeline of
events per the 911 centers radio log and records.
1857 First 911 call reporting explosion is received
1859 KCFD 8 is dispatched for a house explosion and building collapse
1900 I responded from Cle Elum (where I was
at work) and requested mutual aid from KCFD 7 and Snoqualmie Pass Fire
1901 KCFD 7 dispatched
1903 Snoqualmie Pass Fire Dispatch is advised on the incident
1903 Captain Stead advises that he is responding from the Easton area on I-90
1907 KCFD 7 has an engine responding from Golf Course Road Station
1910 First 2 KCFD 8 volunteers arrive at the explosion and no fire is visible.
They begin to evacuate bystanders from the area and lay hose lines from the
two closest fire hydrant/standpipe houses.
1914 Two additional KCFD 8 members arrive on scene
1918 KCFD 8 fire engine is on scene and begins to lay hose line up the hill to the house
1918 First flames are observed at the house
1921 House is fully engulfed in flames
1932 I arrive on scene
1933 KCFD 7 engine arrives on scene
1957 Snoqualmie Pass Fire engine arrives on scene
0028 I cleared the scene to return to work.
KCFD 8 members rotated shifts throughout the night keeping a watch on
the site and putting out hotspots until 6 am the next morning.
This is the second incident of this type to
result in a house fire within the past month. KCFD 8 assisted KCFD 7 in
January with a structure fire in the West Nelson Siding Road area. The
cause of that fire was determined to be a faulty propane regulator on
the outside of the house that allowed the garage to fill with propane
causing an explosion and fire. Recently there have been numerous other
incidents throughout Kittitas County of propane leaks and regulator
problems.
Earlier this winter in the Kachess Village
there was another incident where snow and ice fell from a roof and broke
off the pipe that went from the propane tank to the house regulator.
This resulted in a huge propane leak that was very dangerous.
Thankfully KCFD 8 members arrived in time to locate the buried propane
tank and turn it off before a fire or explosion occurred.
I strongly encourage all residents to check
their propane regulators and tanks. Make sure that regulators are not
buried by snow or other debris and that they are still in good condition
with no visible wear on the regulator or supply lines. Also, please
make sure that propane tank lids are easy to locate and uncovered so
that in case of an emergency the tanks can be shut off quickly.
Below is web site link with other propane safety tips:
www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=690
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this incident or
any other fire department related issues.
Also, please keep in mind that your local
fire department is always looking for people that are willing to
volunteer their time to become members of the fire department and we
would love the opportunity to speak with you about becoming a department
member.
Sincerely,
Monty L. Moore
Fire Chief
206-617-4521 cell
montlm@aol.com
Firewise Your Property
Last year, the Dept. received more than 50 calls for
911 service throughout the district and the I-90 corridor. This is an
average of about 1 per week. About 80% of all calls occurred on a
Fri/Sat/Sun. About 75% of all calls were for EMS (Ambulance).
Dear Kachess Village/Kachess Ridge Property Owner;
My name is Jim Schoeggl, President of the Kachess
Firefighters Association, which was just recently formed. Our
association is made up of both volunteer firefighters and those
individuals who do not have the time or the abilities to be
firefighters, but would still like to help out the fire department. .
KCFD #8 provides fire and medical emergency services to both communities
as well as an 8-mile stretch of I-90. The volunteer association is a
non-profit organization. Our goal is to support the efforts of KCFD #8
in it's continuing efforts to provide the best possible protection in
the event you are ever in need of fire or emergency medical service.
Currently the fire district budget is only enough to cover maintenance
and leasing of the two fire stations.
The goal of the Kachess Firefighters Association is
to raise funds through community donations and fund raising events to
purchase and in turn donate much needed equipment to the fire district.
Equipment as basic a fire extinguisher, hose nozzle up to and including
assistance in replacement vehicle purchases in the future. As the
communities continue to grow and the number of homeowners increases, the
need for our services has continued to grow as well.
To meet these needs KCFD #8 (Kachess Village)
merged with KCFD #9 (Kachess Ridge) approximately two years ago to form
KCFD #8. To meet the increasing and ever unexpected needs by the
community members, KCFD#8 has improved its training to enable as many of
our members as possible to be better prepared for most situations.
Currently members of the department train two days a month for 4 hours
each day. Because of our remote location, the first lines of defense in
time of emergencies are the volunteer firefighters. To be able to
provide the best possible level of service we rely on current and are
always looking for new members to join our organization. You need not
have firefighting or medical experience to contribute. We rely on
support roles and individuals who can volunteer their skills to meet the
needs of the district.
If you are interested in making a contribution or
volunteering your time, please feel free to contact me via mail at
P.O.Box 84, Easton, Washington 98925 or by contacting Chief Monty Moore
at 509-656-0324. Your donations are tax deductible and checks may be
made payable to Kachess Firefighters Association. I would like to
personally thank you in advance for your support and we welcome any one
to stop by our fire stations and talk with us and find out what we are
all about. Station #1 is located next to the clubhouse in Kachess
Village and Station #2 is located just east of Via Kachess Rd. on
Kachess Lake Road.
Thank you and please be safe!
Sincerely,
Jim Schoeggl
President- Kachess Firefighters Association
Monty L. Moore
Fire Chief
Kittitas County Fire District #8
509-656-0324
206-617-4521 cell
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