A disconnected propane gas line is being blamed for a fiery explosion that killed a Union County woman and injured four others.
The explosion happened around 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, inside a camper that an elderly couple was living in at 545 Vista Circle in Blairsville. The camper exploded when they tried to turn on the gas and ignite the kitchen stove, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The wife was burned over 90 percent of her body and her husband also was severely burned. Both were airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital’s burn unit in Atlanta where the wife died overnight.
Three neighbors attempted to rescue the elderly couple from the fire and received lesser burns. One of those neighbors managed to pull the elderly woman from the fire. That rescuer also was airlifted to Grady Memorial while the other two neighbors were treated at a local hospital.
“If it was not for the bravery of these neighbors, both the husband and the wife may not have survived Tuesday’s explosion,” says State Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King.
Preliminary investigations by the State Fire Investigations Unit, the Union County Fire Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office indicate that the propane gas company followed all proper procedures and is not at fault. Investigators say the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.
The identities of the deceased and the injured are not being released at this time as state and local investigators continue to look into the case.
Fires have now claimed 61 lives in Georgia so far this year.
