Interstate Reopened after Propane Fire in Washington

DALLESPORT, Wash. (AP) -- Gas from a leaking 500-gallon propane tank set off a brush fire that shut down a stretch of highway between Washington and Oregon for about six hours, authorities said.

One person was injured at the AmeriGas propane distributor.

The leak occurred midafternoon when three workers tried to move the tank and its valve broke off, spilling an unknown amount of fuel on the ground and into the air, said Klickitat County Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Riggers.

The fuel was ignited by the hot exhaust on a nearby vehicle, Riggers said. One worker, not immediately identified, was evacuated to Portland, Ore., for treatment of burns. The Oregon Burn Center is at Legacy Emanuel Hospital.

By evening, the fire was being tended by the volunteer fire department in this community of 1,200 people. Concerns remained about three additional 500-gallon tanks at the site, which were ''venting the propane and it's flaming as it's coming out,'' Riggers said.

So crews stepped back.

''The primary concern was the release of the propane fumes ... and how volatile the area was,'' he said.

Six 30,00-gallon tanks and a 30,000-gallon rail car at the site were not considered in jeopardy, Riggers said.

At its height, the brush fire shot flames 50 feet into the area and belched black smoke, Riggers said. About five miles of U.S. 197 were shut down from about 3:30 p.m. until 9:40 p.m., including the Dalles Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River into north-central Oregon.

By early evening, the brush fire was contained between the AmeriGas facility, which covers about an acre, and another burned-over area, Riggers said.

It was not clear how much damage was caused by the fire. Riggers said there may have been vehicles on the AmeriGas property.

He said there did not appear to have been an explosion.

''It was a drain of the tank that caused propane to be on the ground and airborne,'' he said. ''To my knowledge, the tank is still intact.''

Calls to the city's volunteer fire department, lead agency on the blaze, were not immediately returned. Calls to county emergency-management officials rang unanswered.

A corridor along the highway, described as a rural industrial area, was evacuated, and Washington State Patrol troopers were assisting local authorities with evacuation of the nearby Columbia Hills Trailer Park, said Patrol Lt. Ron Rupke.

The propane distributor AmeriGas, based in King of Prussia, Pa., has roughly 1.3 million residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and motor fuel customers in the United States. It's a subsidiary of UGI Corp. in Valley Forge, Pa.