Explosion launches propane tank into home
A 200-pound tank of compressed natural gas accidentally exploded at a Bridgewater auto salvage yard and was launched 600 to 700 feet through the air into the roof and bedroom ceiling of a home, narrowly missing a woman standing beneath that part of the ceiling. "I was kneeling down on the floor and there was a huge explosion. It shook the whole house. I didn't know what it was. Scared to death," said Beth Maraglia.
Bridgewater firefighters got a 911 call from Maraglia just after the tank blew through the roof about 10:30 a.m. "An explosion and something just fell on the house. It came through the bedroom," she told the dispatcher.
Maraglia was still shaken several hours later. "I jumped out of the way in time and the ceiling came down right where I was standing," she explained.
Maraglia and fire investigators say solar panels on the roof prevented the tank from landing on her. "Probably would have killed me. Scariest thing that ever happened to me in my life," she said.
Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Levy said part of the 30 inch tank was still missing after the explosion, which happened when a machine cutting apart a truck for scrap evidently cut into the tank, caused a spark and the blast. That left a 4-foot crater in the ground at Chuckran's Auto Parts.
The deputy says the salvage company was in full compliance with all regulations but someone had left the tank in the truck before it was delivered to the yard. "We're probably never going to find out who placed that device inside the metals. It could have been there a while," he said.
Maraglia's boyfriend, Bill Woodman, said someone must have been watching over her. "I have a guardian angel or something watching over me," she surmised.
The deputy chief said the compressed natural gas tank is the type that might be found on a bus that uses alternative fuel. He said since this is Fire Prevention Week, he urges all salvage yards and companies that handle scrap materials to be extra vigilant about what they may contain.