Camp Stove Explosion

There’s No Margin for Error When It Comes to Propane Cooking Safety

Propane-powered kitchens are conveniently modular, affordable, and effective, but in the absence of stringent safety precautions, they can also be deadly.

Only highly trained professionals should ever design, build, or modify propane-burning equipment, and users should be able to count on those professionals to anticipate and prevent accidents before they happen.

Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. Propane explosions, caused by the errors of both amateurs and professionals who should know better, are alarmingly common in Georgia homes and businesses.

An Incorrectly Assembled Propane Stove Killed Three Winder Residents in March

Just after midnight the morning of March 11th, 2023, a series of propane explosions set fire to a home on Hidden Acres Road. By the time emergency crews arrived, three women had died in the blaze. Four other occupants of the home were found alive outside, two of them with severe burns. The home itself burned to the ground.

The fire marshal’s office found that the fire had started with a leaky propane hose leading to a camp stove inside the home. A separate, wood-burning stove in the same room had apparently ignited the escaped gas.

The cooking setup was unusual for a freestanding single-family home, incorporating a large propane tank more often used in RVs. The attached hose, couplings, and dispensing regulator were later found to be incompatible with one another, accounting for the leak.

As far as the criminal justice system is concerned, this fire was a tragic accident, and that’s all there is to it. From a civil law perspective, however, that’s only the beginning of the story. “Accident” doesn’t mean there’s no responsible party, or that it’s not worth figuring out who that party is.

It’s possible that the family jury-rigged the faulty propane setup themselves, but it’s equally possible that a hired professional created the hidden death trap in their kitchen. Either way, defects in the parts or the propane itself might have contributed to this tragedy.

Propane Companies Have a Duty to Prioritize Accident Prevention

All companies have a duty to warn users about any dangers associated their products, and to provide thorough instructions on how to use them as safely as possible.

Companies must also anticipate likely mistakes users will make, and design safety mechanisms accordingly whenever practical. That’s why a good blender comes with both a warning to keep hands away from the blades and a failsafe that prevents the blades from engaging while the lid is off, for example.

A company’s responsibility for safety also extends to the services it provides, including repairs and inspections. So, with all this in mind, there are plenty of possible forms of negligence that might have contributed to the Hidden Acres explosion:

• If the propane itself was incorrectly formulated, making it harder to detect the leak by smell, the propane company would be liable.
• If the stove was installed professionally, or if a service person ever repaired or inspected it without pointing out the dangers, the installation/service company would be liable.
• If the incompatible parts were sold without warning labels and instructions for ensuring a good fit, the manufacturers would be liable.
• If the incompatible parts had connectors that appeared physically compatible, and could be connected easily without modification, the manufacturer could still be liable for not anticipating that error.

If you are one of the survivors of the Hidden Acres explosion, reach out to the Stoddard Firm to discuss your options for justice, for yourself and your family.