Propane Canister Comfirmed As Source Of Home Explosion

A spokesman for the state fire marshal's office in Tampa today confirmed that the source of the explosion that destroyed a home at 1524 Michigan Blvd. in Dunedin on Feb. 11 was a 33-pound industrial propane canister commonly used to fuel forklifts.

By comparison, a canister typically used for barbecues weighs about 20 pounds when full.

Dunedin Fire Marshal William McElligott said firefighters found a barbecue at the home intact after the explosion and said that was not the source of the blast.

Sam Venzeio said the industrial propane canister that exploded was in the home's bedroom when it detonated.

The blast had so much force that it shredded the container, blew out walls and lifted the roof off of the house. The resulting fire consumed what was left of the wood-frame home.

Homeowner Duane Cole, 46, survived with injuries that were not life-threatening. Next-door neighbor Tom O'Keefe, who was among the first to call 911 after the blast, said Cole told him he was in the kitchen when the house blew up.

Venzeio said state fire marshal's investigators aren't sure where Cole was standing at the time of the explosion. "He was close enough to a place where he was able to survive that blast," Venzeio said.

Cole's dog, Jingles, died Saturday after 10 days of intensive care treatment at the Florida Veterinary Specialists animal hospital in Tampa.

State fire marshal investigators don't know where Cole obtained the canister or why he kept it in his bedroom. He has told relatives he doesn't remember what happened before the explosion.

Cole's stepson Brandon Haring said Cole told Haring's mother, who separated from Cole three months ago, that Cole kept extra propane cylinders in the garage.

The garage is in the front of the house; the explosion originated in the rear of the home.

Rick Chaboudy of the Suncoast Animal League said Cole's sister told him Cole planned to meet with reporters at the scene of the house explosion today at 4 p.m.

Pinellas County sheriff's detectives are leading the investigation of the explosion and fire. Yesterday they said propane caused the blast but refused to release further details of their investigation.