Raymond Terrace L.P.G. cylinder explosion
Published: 3rd January 2009
Fire crews from Raymond Terrace and Tarro were confronted with what appeared to be an external bin fire at the rear of the Old Council Building, Port Stephens St, Raymond Terrace. Shortly after their arrival, at approximately 10 pm a massive explosion occurred. Windows of the near by Council Community Care Centre were shattered allowing fire to enter the building. The effect of fire on a 150kg LPG cylinder stored inside this roofless brick enclosure was devastating. The airborne projectile travelled 30 metres smashing through trees, and then travelled another 50 metres cannoning into the wall of the Telstra building, shattering windows and causing extensive damage to an exterior wall. The L.P.G. cylinder finally coming to rest some 80 metres from the original explosion site. Exclusion zones were established and protective fire fighting implemented. An extra pumper from Raymond Terrace and the Duty Commander from Maitland also responded. The incident took over 2 hours to resolve and emphasised the importance of always being vigilant and the extreme dangers posed by LPG cylinders when exposed to heat. There were no injuries.