28 May 2012
At approximately 3.20pm Friday 25 May the Fire and Rescue Service received an emergency call to respond to a fire involving a gas cylinder at an address in La Rue de la Godillerie, Trinity. On arrival the gas cylinder was found to be lying on its side in the garden of the property, with large flames coming from around the valve assembly. It was quickly established that the gas cylinder was full and contained propane gas which is used to fuel barbecues.
2 breathing apparatus wearers used a water jet to cool the cylinder and extinguish the flames, which by this time has impinged on a nearby hedge and garden furniture. They then isolated the gas by turning off the cylinder and continued cooling it until safe. Residents of the property were advised to remain indoors and move to a room furthest away from the incident. It took approximately 25 minutes for the Fire and Rescue Service to deal with this incident, although a crew remained on scene for 1 hour in order to hand over to staff from the Jersey Gas Company.
Jersey Fire and Rescue Service would like to remind the public about the potential dangers of poorly maintained or incorrectly connected gas appliances. Please ensure that you are aware of the following:
- prior to using gas barbecues and patio heaters it is vital to check the condition of all hoses and seals, as rubber components may have perished over time
- all connections should be checked to ensure that they are correctly tightened, utilising a spanner where appropriate
- before igniting the barbecue or patio heater a check for leaks should be conducted
- the gas should be turned on, ensuring the appliance controls are off, and by coating connections and hoses with a soapy water solution the presence of bubbles would indicate a gas leak
- if in any doubt whatsoever, the appliance must not be used and the advice of a qualified gas engineer should be obtained
- members of the public must not attempt to tackle any fire involving gas cylinders; evacuate everybody to a safe distance, call 999 and ask for the Fire and Rescue Service
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