Fast-thinking and training mitigated Huntingburg gas explosion and fire

Huntingburg — One city employee narrowly missed serious injury and another’s fast thinking mitigated the potential disaster when the gas storage field building exploded on Monday.

In a report presented to the Huntingburg Common Council Thursday night, Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler outlined the events leading up to and during the explosion and subsequent fire.

According to his report, Huntingburg utilities dispatch received an alarm from the storage field building at 6:30 that indicated a flame-out on the gas dehydrator unit or an electrical failure. Greg Schmitt, the gas crew chief, was on call that night and he was notified of the failure at 6:33.

Schmitt left his Ireland home to investigate the alarm but was held up by traffic.

At about 6:45 p.m., a homeowner mowing his grass about 600 feet away from the building heard a loud bang and saw the roof blow off of the building. He called 911 and reported the explosion and described 20-foot flames coming from the structure.

Luckily, Schmitt had not arrived at the building to investigate the alarm before this occurred.

David Kissling, an energy utility employee who also serves on the Huntingburg volunteer fire department, heard about the explosion and fire over the scanner. Realizing the dangerous situation he responded to assist the fire department.

Kissling arrived at the scene just as Memorial Emergency Medical Services and the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department were setting up a roadblock at the intersection of 750 South and 500 West. A pressure reduction station feeding gas to the storage field is located at the intersection and Kissling quickly shut off line going to the storage field before continuing to the the storage field building.

The Holland Fire Department had cordoned off the area but were unable to fight the fire until the gas feeding the 20 foot flames was shut off. Those shutoff valves were located about 30 feet from the completely engulfed gas storage field building.

Kissling donned protective fire gear from one of the responding fire department personnel and then entered the fenced in yard to shut off the valves. With the fuel to the fire shut off the fire department was then able to douse the flames.

According to both the state fire marshal and David McVey, a cause and origin expert from EFI Global, a company specializing in fire investigations and forensics, the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Reutepohler surmises that the alarm they received at 6:30 was for a flame-out on the dehydrator unit. The dehydrator unit removes water from the gas and is heated by an enclosed flame fueled by the natural gas. With the flame out, natural gas likely filled the building until a spark caused the explosion and subsequent fire.

Kissling was hired in February of 2012 by then-city utility superintendent Tony Traylor. Traylor stated he hired Kissling because he was impressed with his quick thinking during the 2011 tornado that ran through the south portion of the town. In offering Kissling the position with the city, Traylor spoke highly of Kissling’s actions after the tornado. ” I was really impressed with David during the tornado last year. When the firefighters were responding to the homes that were destroyed, he is the one who initiated turning off the gas lines to the homes.”