By Erin Sullivan
The St. Petersburg Times
ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — As the firefighters approached the burning shed Wednesday afternoon, they heard hissing and stayed back.
Then an oxygen tank exploded from the shed on 6650 Chenkin Road, rocketing about 75 feet, narrowly missing the firefighters. It smacked dead center on an engine door. The door will need to be replaced.
“We were lucky,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Ciccarello of Pasco Fire Rescue. “If it would have hit one of them, it would have been a whole lot worse.”
In the effort to avoid getting blasted by the airborne tank, a firefighter suffered a shoulder injury. Ciccarello said the firefighter was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition.
Ciccarello said the cause of the fire is being investigated. The shed contained welding equipment and supplies, as well as other tools.
Firefighters were called about 12:51 p.m. Crews responded at 1:03 p.m. and had the blaze under control within 30 minutes.
Three engines, one tanker, three rescues, a battalion chief and support vehicles were dispatched to the call, along with a investigator from Pasco County Fire Rescue. A total of 19 personnel responded. Units were on the scene for more than an hour.
Pasco County Property Appraiser’s records show the 16-acre property belongs to the Chenkin Family Trust. Alan and Elvira Chenkin are listed as trustees. The tract, which has one home, is located north of County Road 54 and west of Airport Road.
Chenkin’s Sales and Service, an auto repair and parts shop on U.S. 301 owned by Alan Chenkin, was damaged by a different fire in July 1990. That fire, fueled by grease, oil and other flammable fluids, took four hours to put out and caused $400,000 in damage.
A man who answered the phone Wednesday at the residence on Chenkin Road didn’t want to give his name, but said his shed was gone. It burned to the ground. He said the oxygen tank was about three and a half feet tall and used in welding.
Ciccarello said firefighters are trained to approach sheds, garages and the like with caution because there can be explosive things — like propane tanks — stored inside.
“This does occasionally happen,” he said. “But they usually don’t come firing out like that.”
Copyright 2009 Times Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved