GUN BARREL CITY, Texas — A fire from a forklift caused a propane explosion Wednesday afternoon in Gun Barrel City.
According to the Gun Barrel City Fire Department, firefighters were called to Lowe's Home Improvement at 201 West Maine Street at about 2:43 p.m. The firefighters saw a propane-powered forklift had been full engulfed in flames.
Fire engines parked well away from the fire to assess the situation and plan an attack to extinguish the flames.
As firefighters readied to spray water on the fire, a propane tank ruptured, sending a fireball 20 feet into the area. The heat from the explosion was felt as far as 100 feet away.
“In my nearly 30 years in the fire service, I have never seen a propane tank rupture as a result of a forklift fire," Fire Chief Joseph Lindaman said.
Fortunately, there were no injuries.
The store was evacuated until the fire was extinguished.
"I want to commend our Fire Fighters Jacob Raney and Matthew Newkirk for using good tactics when approaching the forklift fire," Chief Lindaman said. "I also want to commend Lowe’s for their quick action in evacuating all guests and employees from the store until the forklift fire was extinguished.”
The forklift was a total loss and there was damage to some products in the store.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
