Fire Marshal's Office Says Picnic Point Wastewater Explosion Was Accidental

Thursday’s explosion and fire at the Picnic Point Wastewater Treatment Facility facility near Edmonds has been ruled accidental by the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office.

According to Snohomish County spokesman Christopher Schwarzen, the explosion and fire was reported by workers at the site, located at 6315 Picnic Point Road, at about 11 a.m. after a cloud of propane vapors ignited. The incident occurred while a contractor was lifting a 1,000-gallon propane tank onto a truck to remove it from the property. 

The tank was estimated to have about 300 gallons remaining inside. As the tank was being placed onto the metal deck of the truck, a brass drain valve on the bottom of the tank broke off, releasing propane from under the tank.

It was estimated that it took about 45 seconds for the vapors to be ignited. 

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