BBQ tank shoots flames that feed Bay Terrace blaze

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A propane tank may have sparked a two-alarm blaze that torched the exterior of two Bay Terrace houses and left 10 people, seven of them firefighters, with minor injuries yesterday.

The blaze started in the rear of 138 Bay Terr., then spread next door to the vinyl siding outside 144 Bay Terr.

Though the cause remained under investigation yesterday, fire officials said flames were spouting like a blowtorch from a propane tank behind 138 Bay Terr. No one appeared to be using the barbecue at the time, and the tank wasn’t found near it, officials said.

"The propane was feeding the fire," said Deputy Chief Roger Sakowich.

The blaze began about 2:06 p.m. and was brought under control at 3:09 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said yesterday. Sakowich said he expects the houses will remain habitable despite the damage.

Dawn Meehan, who was lunching inside 138 Bay Terr. with her sister, Coleen Meehan-Rualo, and Ms. Meehan-Rualo’s 2-year-old daughter, Julianna Marie, recalled hearing a "pop noise, a big bang."

"We saw smoke, and the smoke started to come into the house, and I looked out of the window and saw flames," Ms. Meehan-Rualo said.

Steve Ficara said he was returning home to 144 Bay Terr. when he saw the fence separating the two houses ablaze. Inside was his mother, Orsula Ficara, 80.

"She’s all right. She’s just upset," he said.

Ficara said he called 911, though he became frustrated when the dispatcher instructed him to stay on the line and repeat the details of the emergency to the FDNY— he wanted to get to work extinguishing the blaze.

He grabbed a hose and started spraying the fence, he said, but had to stop when the heat became too much for his hands.

Ficara, his mother, and Ms. Meehan-Rualo were all treated for minor injuries at the scene, according to FDNY officials. Four firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries, while another three received treatment at the scene, officials said.

The FDNY warns owners of propane grills never to store liquid or pressurized fuels inside their home, in direct sunlight or near any possible sources of flame.

FDNY officials on the scene said yesterday that the hot weather, including direct or reflected sunlight, can spark the propane within.

i'm sorry you think that all firemen go sick just for the hell of it. the fact of the matter is firefighting is a pretty hazardous career. if i was to show you every mri i've had through my career. you'd be singing a different song. yes we try and take precautions to ensure our safety. but its next to impossible to foresee everything.

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