The need for extreme caution while around gas bottles has been highlighted by an horrific accident at a caravan park in Queenscliff in Victoria.
The Geelong Advertiser reports that four teenagers suffered burns from a gas explosion at the Big4 Beacon Resort. A boy and a girl were airlifted to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne with serious burns, with one suffering burns to their face and arms, and another burns to their chest and stomach.
Two other teens – a boy and a girl – were taken to the Geelong hospital with minor burns and have since been released.
The conditions of the two more seriously injured children has now been downgraded from serious to stable.
The youngsters were reportedly on school camp at the time of the incident. While grey nomads were not involved in this particular incident, the lessons remain the same.
Queenscliff Fire Brigade wasted no time in issuing a warning on its Facebook page for people to be careful around gas bottles … especially with the warmer weather here and more and more people using barbecues.
“We cannot emphasise enough the importance in maintaining your gas bottles,” the post said. “Please make sure your hoses are not damaged and are connected correctly. Please ensure gas bottles are treated with care. Please, please, please don’t be complacent.”
Police who attended the scene of the accident said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.
A bunch of teens and a gas bottle… Mmmmmm…. What were they doing one would ask?
This incident was reported earlier on some media as the result of a portable gas stove mishap, which I assumed it was a butane canister fueled cooker. These units are extremely dangerous if large pans are placed on the burner forcing flame and heat toward the canister. Good advice either way from the Fire Brigade as condition of gas hoses and connections are the responsibility of the owner, whom should also be reminded to ensure when exchanging gas bottles, they are receiving appropriately tested and stamped in date replacements.
From personal experience, missing or perished O rings can be a major factor. They are not always evident and can be easily missed – leading to gas leaks and fire. Always check your O rings!