No one was injured in an explosive fire that destroyed a greenhouse on North Whidbey Monday morning. At 8:15 a.m., North Whidbey Fire and Rescue and Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue were called to respond to a fire on Glencairn Road, just north of Penn Cove.
North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Swiger said the fire was caused by a propane heater that was kept on overnight. He advises against doing this as the heater is not monitored.
One of the four 100-pound tanks involved exploded as a result of what is called a "BLEVE," which stands for "boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion," Swiger said.
A BLEVE occurs when the pressurized liquid inside a vessel has a temperature higher than the boiling point at atmospheric pressure. If the container breaks, the loss of pressure causes the liquid to convert into gas, causing an explosion.
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