A Sabine County resident was airlifted to Galveston for second- and third-degree burns Tuesday after a house fire in the Fairmont community touched off a series of explosions from propane and oxygen tanks on the property, the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Deputies were called out Tuesday morning, Oct. 6, to a home in Fairmont, east of Hemphill, after neighbors reported a house fire with explosions. The sheriff’s office said the blasts appeared to come from three five-gallon propane tanks and a four-foot oxygen tank stored at the home.
Fairmont Volunteer Fire Department, Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department and Hemphill Volunteer Fire Department all responded alongside the sheriff’s office. As of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Fairmont VFD was still on scene, deputies had returned to normal patrols, and no other injuries were reported, the release said.
If you store propane or oxygen cylinders near your house in Sabine County, this is a reminder worth passing on: keep tanks away from heat sources, outside the home, and know where the valves are so first responders are not working around hidden fuel.
Sources: KTRE: Sabine County Sheriff’s Office press release via KTRE