Propane’s heavier-than-air qualities helped it stay low and collect in the farmhouse at 8046 131st Road, waiting for an ignitor to set off a deadly eruption, officials said.
Randy Porter, Derby, died Tuesday and Toni Brothers, Winfield, was injured in what investigators believe was a basic yet devastating explosion.
Specifics of the case have yet to be made public but Winfield Fire Marshal Alan Stoll said the recipe was likely simple and familiar: propane leaked into a confined area of the home – perhaps the two-feet or so of space under the floor – and eventually made contact with an ignition source.
"You figure the square footage of the house and if the crawl space was full of gas," Stoll said. "That’s all it would take."
There are no signs of foul play or malicious intent he said. Investigators believe it was an accident and are trying to determine what exactly transpired.
Stoll and the Winfield Fire Department are assisting the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office in conducting an investigation. The explosion and subsequent fire occurred in Burden’s fire district but Stoll was called to investigate and he in turned contacted the state.
The home is several miles northeast of Winfield near the city lake.
The state fire marshal will issue a report of findings once the case is closed. That could take some time because investigators will need to consult with various agencies to compile all the necessary information.
State Fire officials will want to talk Brothers once she is up to it, Stoll said. Her condition is improving and she was listed in fair condition at Via Christi-St. Francis, according to spokesperson Maria Loving.
The farmhouse was a rental home owned by Don Drake, Stoll confirmed. He would not comment on reports that Drake had been at the house the day of the blast.
County Sheriff’s Capt. Bill Mueller said his office had little new information to offer on what is an on-going investigation. He did confirm that investigators had spoken with Brothers right after the explosion and were told about a possible gas leak.
Brothers was preparing to move into the house at the time of the explosion and Porter was apparently helping her get ready, officials said.
Investigators have been told that someone might have been plugging something into an electrical outlet or flipping a light switch when the explosion occurred, Mueller said.
"But at this point we don’t know exactly what the ignition source is or if she (Brothers) was the one who was plugging something in, or what exactly happened," he said.
Stoll would not comment on a specific ignition source but said something obviously ignited the gas. He said something as simple as a sump pump switching on can cause ignition if the right conditions are present.
