Local News
<FONT COLOR="red">ODD OCCURANCE: </font>Trailer house at Lake Palo Pinto explodes
By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com
LAKE PALO PINTO – An odd series of occurrences led to the explosion of a trailer home Saturday on the west side of Lake Palo Pinto.
Shortly after 2 p.m., volunteer firefighting teams from Gordon, Santo, Lone Camp, Palo Pinto and Mineral Wells responded to a Long Drive residence after four or five calls came in to the Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Department. According to Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Perdue, at least one initial call indicated this could be a possible plane crash with explosions.
Instead, it was a lake home, which the owner told officials had not been used for six years, Perdue said.
Residue, remaining in the propane tank, leaked out under the house. These vapors were ignited when a power line touched the metal side of the trailer and shorted out, explained Perdue.
“It was a strange coincidence of events,” he said. “It blew the walls of the trailer out, according to those first on the scene. And it burned with the
strong winds we had Saturday.”
The resulting fire scorched the paint on the house next door and “a little piece of flying debris ignited a garage about 50 feet to 60 feet away. It landed at the base of the garage wall – made of plater board – and burned a hole in it,” he said.
“The owners thought the [propane] tank was empty,” Perdue said. “There's no such thing as empty when you are talking about something that will vaporize like natural gas or gasoline.”
- Local News
-
-
Native Plant Society of Texas meeting to feature BRIT talk
The Cross Timbers Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas will host Tiana Franklin, who will present an overview of the Botanical Reseach Institute of Texas on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Harberger Hill Community Building, 701 Narrow St., in Weatherford.
- Meals on Wheel seeks new mobile unit, PSA sponsors
-
Pruitt to speak at MW Heritage Club meeting
Doyle Pruitt will present stories of Mineral Wells at Thursday's meeting of the Mineral Wells Heritage Association.
-
Mineral Wells Bridal Fair Feb. 20 at HHCC
The Second Annual Mineral Wells Bridal Fair is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Holiday Hills Country Club.
- Santo man shot in chest
-
Twice scared
From chasing down burglars in Dallas to living through a storm in the Gulf of Mexico on a boat with two drunk crewmates, Jimmy Tibbs said he’s had lots of little adventures in life.
-
Speed, wet road factors in wreck, officials say
A man was transported to Palo Pinto General Hospital after the pickup he was driving smashed into a concrete culvert on U.S. Highway 281 North near Salesville, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
-
Smoldering Ruins
A two-story building located at Hood Road and Division Loop burned to the ground early Wednesday morning.
-
UPDATE: Man arrested for assaulting parents
A man was arrested on two counts of injury to the elderly after police did a welfare check at a residence in the 500 block of N.E. 40th Avenue, police said.
-
Thursday Blotter - Feb. 4, 2010
The following people were processed through the Palo Pinto County Jail.
- More Local News Headlines
-


