8 Injured in FLorida Propane Plant Blast

Tavares, FL (CNN) - On Monday afternoon,  Lake County Sheriff John Herrell explained that the Blue Rhino plant workers with procedure and equipment failure caused propane tank cylinders to explode.  The 15 workers were originally reported missing as they fled the scene, but later found that some ran or drove themselves to the hospital. Blue Rhino was established in 2004, and onsite there were a total of 53,000 20 pounds with a total of over a million pounds of cylinders of propane, producing more than 2.3 million tanks per year.  Blue Rhino is recycle once refill propane tank facility where retail owners trade empty tanks for a new one for gas grills. 

The Florida Division of Emergency Management immediately issued an order of evacuation for the local area within a half-mile radius.  Fire Chief of Tavares Richard Keith put the fire out around 2 a.m.and now has the situation under control.  Keith stated "It truly sounded like a car hit our house."  Norma Haygood, a Tavares resident, reported to CNN WESH that it felt like "bombs going off," and witnessed a glow from the fire in the sky.  Parent company Ferrellagas Spokesman Scott Brockelmeyer is cooperating with authorities under investigation.  Brockelmeyer said the incident was "as sobering as you can possibly imagine."  He also declined to respond to the statement from Fire Chief Keith about the explosions were due to "equipment failure and human error."  

This has been a series of chain plant explosions in 2013 since the Texas fertilizer plant that occurred due to failure of safety regulations and killed 14 people, and the Louisiana chemical plant explosion occurred causing 1 death and 8 injuries.  Blue Rhino had one prior violation where the company was fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because of previous equipment failure.  Travares Administrator John Drury said it was "a blessing" that their were not fatalities in the incident with a large community in close proximity.