Crews were called to Jenkins Propane Gas and Distribution about 7:15 p.m. and the area around the company was evacuated while firefighters try to extinguish the blaze. They had contained it by 10 p.m., said Chief Ronnie Marley of the Pearce's Mill Fire Department.
Authorities set up a shelter at South View High School for those who were evacuated, authorities said.
Two injured people were airlifted to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill, said Doc Nunnery, the county's emergency services director. The third person was treated at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.
Debbie Abbott, who lives in apartments near the business, said she heard an explosion at the building.
``I heard a kaboom, and that's not good,'' Abbott said.
Then, a second tank exploded.
A plume of flames reached a height of three or four times higher than the one-story building, said another neighbor, Gene Krishingner.
