PHOENIX — Clean-up efforts are underway after an explosive fire sent propane tanks flying hundreds of yards away Thursday afternoon.
The fire unfolded at Bill's Propane Service at 40th and Washington streets.
Now all that’s left on that property is a shell of a building, at least a dozen torched cars, and hundreds of burned propane tanks.
Shawn Jessup says he was driving when he saw the building fully engulfed in flames. He added that for a while, there were back-to-back explosions.
"At times it was like popcorn over here with all the gas bottles exploding. You could definitely hear them. I was in my truck as they were exploding. I could feel the truck shaking from the explosions, even that far away," said Jessup.
A propane tank eventually shot up and landed next to Jessup's car.
"And it was still on fire, so I thought, it's time to pull back," he added.
Fire officials say at least a dozen cars were damaged.
Brandi Casimir, general manage of Sky Harbor Airport Parking and Sundance Airport Parking sent the following statement after the fire: "It’s a very unfortunate situation and we are grateful that no one was hurt. At this time we don’t know the cause of the fire and we are working with the Fire Department to assist in any way we can. We are reaching out to all of our customers currently parked on the lot to inform them of the situation and we’re reaching out to future customers to let them know of an alternate parking lot."
ABC15 talked to Tanisha Lawrence, a woman who says her car would have been one of them had her sister not given her a ride to the airport.
"If my sister had not dropped us off, we would have parked there. And my car probably would have been toast," said Lawrence.
Chris House and Leanna Diane weren't as lucky.
House was coming back from an Alaskan cruise, not knowing that the fire he saw from his plane spread to the lot where his truck was parked.
He got a call Thursday from the airport parking alerting him that he wouldn't be able to get his truck back. He took an Uber home and called Sundance Airport Parking Friday
"I did call earlier because a manager told me to call," said House. “When I told her where I was parking and I told her what kind of truck I had she goes ‘Oh it's completely destroyed,’” said House.
However, when he showed up, he only had minor damage like a back tail light and brake light partially melted.
A small bit of relief in his case, but all around him cars melted or burned down to just their shells.
“I feel bad for all of them because some may not even know yet,” said House.
He also told ABC15 he was sure some of the burned cars, for others, were their only form of transportation.
That’s Diane's situation. She got an email about the fire but said she had no clue her car was destroyed until she arrived at the lot.
She dropped to the ground, surrounded by family, when she saw what was left.
“I was fighting for this car because it’s kind of everything to me,” said Diane.
She told ABC15 she had been working through an insurance claim before the fire, and the parts to repair the car Diane said had just arrived.
Inside her car, was expensive equipment she uses for her job as an aerial performer and yoga teacher.
Those items and the car are now turned to ash.
“You don’t go on a trip and expect to come back with your car completely burned to the ground,” said Diane. “It’s kind of hard. Also, I have to work at 4:00 am tomorrow. I don’t know how I’m going to do that yet.”
Diane’s boyfriend created a fundraiser to help as she works to figure out what insurance will cover.
More than 150 firefighters were on scene hosing down the flames for hours.
Now, only burned, melted, and warped metal is left behind where the propane business once stood.
"I feel sorry for the folks coming back from vacation and they have their cars all burned up," said Jessup.
The Phoenix Fire Department is responsible for inspecting hazardous materials sites.
The department and the company that owns the propane business were unable to say when the facility was last inspected for potential fire hazards.
“That information we are working to gather, and it should be gathered within the next few weeks,” said Captain Kimberly Ragsdale, a public information officer for the Phoenix Fire Department.
Lettermen’s Energy Holdings, owner of the business, declined comment on when the site was last inspected, saying they would wait until the investigation is complete.
