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Fire Department Credits Passerby for Averting Possible Disaster in Ellison Bay

A tragedy was averted in Ellison Bay Nov. 29 thanks to the astute observations of a passerby.

A pedestrian on Mink River Road reported a strong smell of gas in the area at 8:54 am. The Sister Bay Liberty Grove Fire Department was dispatched and responded immediately to the area near the Wickman House restaurant.

Crews were sent out to canvas the initial area with gas detectors checking for empty propane tanks or any source of the smell. After extensive searching and chasing smells, the source of the smell was found at an unoccupied second home residence near the intersection of Mink River Road and Lakeview Road.

A 500 gallon tank was found to be empty and a strong odor was coming from the house. Responders gained entry  to the house and two gas detectors were brought to the doorway, where both immediately discovered an extremely high level of explosive gas. Crews entered the house to ventilate the house and the house was thoroughly ventilated until readings of explosive gas was at zero. Crews turned the house over to the caretaker and all units cleared at approximately 11:03 am.

In a Facebook post the department said conditions could have resulted in an explosion had the passerby not alerted authorities in time. The department also urged residents to keep track of propane tanks because when you run out of gas, you run the risk of damaging your own property or appliances, and can create an odor in the area. Propane is an odorless gas, so an oil called mercaptans is added to give it an odor. When a tank runs empty it will often give off the odor of propane from the excess mercaptans coming out. This can create false alarms for propane leaks.

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