By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright 2007 The Salt Lake Tribune
All Rights Reserved
SALT LAKE CITY — A fire near two 12,000-gallon propane tanks threatened the closure of the Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday night.
The two massive propane tanks were in danger of exploding at a firefighting training facility at the airport, said Dennis McKone, spokesman for the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
The airport tower and a SkyWest facility were evacuated around 11:40 p.m. There were still six arrivals and one departure scheduled at the airport between 11:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., said Barbara Gann, airport spokeswoman. None of those flights were affected by the fire, she said.
One of three runways was closed because of the situation, Gann said. But as of midnight, the airport was still operating with tower personnel working in another building.
Firefighters issued a 1.5-mile evacuation area around the tanks, but were letting the fire burn, hoping the propane exhausts itself, McKone said.
After consulting with the propane experts, fire crews sent in a Hazmat team that was able to shut off the main gas feed.
Firefighters responded to the scene on the north side of airport property around 9 p.m. after a propane leak under one of the tanks caught fire during a training exercise.
A machine at the training site automatically directed streams of water on the tanks to keep them cool and to try to prevent them from exploding, McKone said.
Fire officials initially issued an evacuation order for a 1-mile radius around the tanks. There are no houses within the evacuation area, but the training facility, the DHL and UPS delivery businesses and a Delta reservation call center at the airport were cleared of people. The nearest airport facilities are about two miles away, McKone said.
Around 10:30 p.m., the machine dousing the propane tanks ran out of water and the evacuation area was expanded.
Seven engines, two ladder trucks and 45 firefighters are at the scene.
As of 12:30 p.m., only residual gas was burning. Fire crews expected to clear the scene by 1:30 p.m., McKone said.
The Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighter Training Center is owned and operated by the airport. It is used for training by fire agencies throughout the Western United States, McKone said.
Propane stored in the tanks fuels fires on the props that are used in training exercises.