Youth ignites natural gas storage tank

NFPA Journal, Jan/Feb 2001 by Tremblay, Kenneth J

INDUSTRY & UTILITIES

New Mexico

A 16-year-old boy, who was going to show his 15-year-old friend "what happens when the vapors from the tank ignite," used a cigarette lighter to ignite the vapors in a 21,000-- gallon (79,494-liter) condensate tank at a natural gas well site. The tank, which was onethird full of natural gas liquids, exploded with such force that the 16-year-old was thrown 90 feet (27 meters) and suffered fatal blunt trauma injuries. The other boy, who was also injured, walked a half mile (0.8 kilometers) to his home to call for help.

Climbing on top of the tank, the 16-year-old opened the access hatch and put his lighter in or near the opening. The flame immediately ignited the vapors, blowing the roof of the tank 30 feet (9 meters) from its original location.

The victim's injured friend called 911 at 5:30 p.m. Responding firefighters used two 1 3/4-inch hoselines and 3 percent aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to extinguish the burning fuel. EMS crews treated the injured boy, who suffered burns to 20 percent of his body. No damage estimates were reported.