An Insider's View of A Potentially Explosive Fire Scene

In our original story, posted at 4:24 p.m. on Saturday after we left the scene, this is what we knew:

The Orange Volunteer Fire Department was called to the on the Boston Post Road at around 3:04 p.m. for a possible structure fire.

Within two minutes, Chief Charlie Gagel called for a second alarm, requested , The Woodbridge FD Rapid Intervention Team and a pumper truck from West Haven. 

The Boston Post Road was shut down from near (and VIP) to the Indian River Road area while the firefighters laid out hoses and knocked down the fire.

Fire Marshal Tim Smith said the fire started in one of the bays of the maintenance garage in the rear portion of the property. He said two employees were working in the building and transfering gasoline from one container to another and the vapors found an ignition source that set it off.

"The employees tried to put the blaze out with fire extinguishers while they were calling 911, but it got away from them," Smith said. "They got out of there, and they didn't get hurt."

This incident had the potential for disaster with propane tanks, gasoline, other combustibles and vehicles inside, but thanks to a quick response, it was under control remarkably fast.

Update:

The photos we later obtained from the inside of the building show just how dangerous this fire was, and leaves to the imagination how lucky the firefighters were.

Deputy Fire Chief Keith Anderson said (in layman's terms) the propane tank on the rear of a tow motor was bulging and was ready to burst.

You can see the damage to a garage bay door where the vehicle was parked. Had the tank burst, the resulting explosion would have had the potential to blow that door off and the department could have had fatalities that day.

"With all the combustible materials inside that garage, this call could have been deadly," he said. "We were lucky."