Hannah Storm Burned by Gas Grill Explosion


 
Wow, incredible story. I've only been grilling for a dozen years, but I've never had one 'just go out' without running out of gas.
Still, glad to hear she's ok and just about at full recovery.
 
Incredible story and glad she is doing ok - saw her working the Rose Bowl parade yesterday. Certainly always good to be reminded of the dangers that are out there and are generally avoidable with proper precautions. Thanks for posting.
 
This was an avoidable accident. It happened because proper procedure was not followed.

We ignore, at our own peril, all of those warnings printed in the owner's manual. For example, from the Genesis gas grill:

Should the burners go out while in operation, turn all gas valves off. Open the lid and wait five minutes before attempting to relight, using the igniting instructions.
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Would you wait the required five minutes? I probably would not, thinking that the gas just floats away as soon as the lid is opened. Not until reading this story did I learn that propane is heavier than air, so it kind of sits in the cooker box and may take a little while to dissipate once the lid is opened. Unlike natural gas, which is lighter than air...

And...

If any burner fails to ignite during lighting, within five seconds, stop, turn the burner control knob to off and wait five minutes to allow the gas to clear before you try again or light with a match.
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And...

Failure to open the lid while igniting the barbecue’s burners, or not waiting five minutes to allow the gas to clear if the barbecue does not light, may result in an explosive flare-up which can cause serious bodily injury or death.
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And so many more. When was the last time you checked the condition of the rubber gas line?

Check hose before each use of barbecue for nicks, cracking, abrasions or cuts. If the hose is found to be damaged in any way, do not use the barbecue. Replace using only Weber authorized replacement hose. Contact the customer service representative in your area using the contact information on our web site.
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When was the last time you checked for leaks?

You should check for gas leaks every time you disconnect and reconnect a gas fitting.
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Maybe we should all resolve for the New Year to read our gas grill owner's manuals again.

Regards,
Chris
 
I heard about this yesterday and now there is an online article with pics. See here.

Wow! I grill and BBQ year round. I can remember a few times when the flame would go out and I would relight by pressing the igniter button. There was a louder poof than normal. I will pay closer attention to this.

I'm glad she made it back to work and is recovering... :)
 
This is a total wake up call for me. I have not been operating my gasser in a safe manner. Thank you Jay for posting this, and Chris for the manual reminder.
 
Jeff Brown (KY) said:
Glad she is OK but these kinds of incidents are very few and far between. Life in general is dangerous.
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no reason why one can't use a little precaution in particularly dangerous situations. Crossing a street is dangerous, but that doesn't stop me from looking both ways first ;)

If I recall correctly, she had the lid open the whole time. Her mistake was to not shut off the gas and wait. I'm not sure what I would have done. I probably would have shut them off, waited a second, and restarted.
 
I saw this also. Hate to admit it, but I probably would have done the same thing as she did if I found the fire had gone out. Definitely a lesson learned.
 
Jeff Brown (KY) said:
Glad she is OK but these kinds of incidents are very few and far between. Life in general is dangerous.
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Jeff is right, fortunately these incidents are rare, but since this thread has been made, I thought I would share a few additional things, since I am a firefighter/paramedic in Jacksonville.

In 21 years as a firefighter, I have only been to one person burned by a grill, gas or charcoal, thank god. What I have been to is many grills on fire from , as Chris mentioned, bad gas lines, bad valves, etc. Leaking around fittings is the most common cause

Its already been said not to relight grill for several minutes, but I want to add this.... If you ever have this happen to you, or someone else when you are around always remember what they taught us in school!!...
....STOP, DROP and ROLL!!. IF you run to get water or help you will fan the flames and make it worse. Also, if someone else is on fire, get something handy like a blanket, a shirt, and get them on the ground and smother the flames.

And although this may seem like common sense to most, I figure since we are on the subject of safety and cooking, I am going to add a bit about grease fires...

Kitchen grease fires are the number 1 cause of fire and smoke damage calls that I go to. If you ever have a grease fire, NEVER try to put it out with water or move the pan to the sink. Attempt to smother the fire with a pot lid or by covering it with flour or by using a dry chemical (common household type) ,purple k, or CO2 extinguisher. I always have one near or around where I am cooking. Immediately turn the burner or gas off.
... and please dont wait to call 911 if the fire can not be controlled. If the fire gets to cabinets, etc and you have the urge to grab a hose, please do so AFTER you call 911. A small fire can become large very quickly and you most likely will not be able to control it with a garden hose. Most kitchen fires I go to do more smoke damage (to the entire house) than flame damage.

I know, I know, this all seems rather obvious to most, but it is amazing how many grease fires I go to. I figure this is at least one subject on here I know about and can add something useful too.

Be safe everyone

(sorry for the long post)
 
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Rick Body said:
Be safe everyone. (sorry for the long post)
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No need to apologize! This is all good info, and stuff we need to be reminded of from time to time. Member Dennis Haner posted a great video clip about grease fires in early December that is a must-watch for everyone.

I was reading an article earlier today from US Fire Administration (part of FEMA) that says grill fires cause 10 deaths, 100 injuries, and a whopping $37 million dollars in property loss each year.

Let's be careful out there, people! :)

Regards,
Chris
 
I thought the stink-um they put in the propane / natural gas was supposed to help us with this.
 
I saw an interview yesterday where she said "The doors blew open."
It sounds like the bottom of the cabinet filled with propane and leaving the lid up for a short while may not allow that propane to dissipate.
 
I had forgotten about that video, watched it a few months ago.

Its a shame you cant walk into Lowes and get them off the shelf and that you have to order them. It seems like ALOT more people might have them. They look like a good tool, but I have never seen one here locally in someones kitchen.

At the very least, everyone should have an up to date fire extinguisher handy, which can be purchased at any home store (and be familiar with operation)
 
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Unfortunately every year property is damaged, people are burned and killed every year with charcoal grills as well. Co2 poisoning, burns from tipped-over grills, restarting with lighter fluid :confused: etc. IMO one type of grill is no more or less safe than the other. Both have safety precautions that have to be followed to be used safely.
 
I'm not sure if this is a recent development or not, but she's recorded a PSA for radio broadcast. She describes her experience and goes through the proper steps to light/relight a grill.
 
Chris Allingham said:
This was an avoidable accident. It happened because proper procedure was not followed.

We ignore, at our own peril, all of those warnings printed in the owner's manual. For example, from the Genesis gas grill:



Would you wait the required five minutes? I probably would not, thinking that the gas just floats away as soon as the lid is opened. Not until reading this story did I learn that propane is heavier than air, so it kind of sits in the cooker box and may take a little while to dissipate once the lid is opened. Unlike natural gas, which is lighter than air...

And...



And...



And so many more. When was the last time you checked the condition of the rubber gas line?



When was the last time you checked for leaks?



Maybe we should all resolve for the New Year to read our gas grill owner's manuals again.

Regards,
Chris
Click to expand...

Common sense is a rare commodity these days.....
 
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