Sacramento propane fire causes chaos

SACRAMENTO, July 19 (UPI) -- It took 131 firefighters more than two hours to control a wild and frightening four-alarm fire late Friday at a Sacramento propane yard.

Fire Capt. Dave Whitt said Saturday that the blaze at the Airgas facility on the capital city's north side caused more than $1 million in damage and forced nearby evacuations. Fire crews faced a series of explosions that sparked grass fires and sent shrapnel flying 400 feet into the air.

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"Stabilizing the incident was paramount prior to letting the fire spread to hydrogen storage and an acetylene manufacturing area, thereby preventing a greater catastrophe," Whitt said. "If larger tanks were able to explode the damage could have been far-reaching."

No one was injured in the late afternoon incident. The cause remained under investigation Saturday although the preliminary indication is that it was accidental.