Bend man critically burned in RV propane explosion, fire

An explosion and fire in a travel trailer in southwest Bend early Friday left a man critically burned and apparently was caused by an uncapped propane pipe leaking into the RV, authorities said.

The explosion sent 45-year-old Chase Swafford to the hospital with severe burns over much of his body, according to his neighbor, Allan McEntee. Swafford was flown from St. Charles Bend to the Oregon Burn Center at Emanuel Legacy in Portland, were a spokeswoman said he was in critical condition.

According to McEntee, Swafford and his girlfriend, Tami Ogle, were cooking in the RV and were unaware of the propane leak. When Swafford turned on the stove, the explosion happened. Ogle was not in the RV at the time and was not injured.

McEntee said he awakened to screams from Ogle He ran to the RV, pulled Swafford from the burning vehicle and tried to keep the flames from spreading to the surrounding woods.

Bend Fire Department crews and Deschutes County Sheriff’s rushed to 19470 Lone Cow Drive on initial dispatch calls around 3:18 a.m., said Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki. Upon arrival, they found flames coming from the RV trailer, which was being used as a residence.

Crews were able to quickly stop the fire, he said, keeping it from spreading to nearby outbuildings and vegetation.

An investigation found the fire most likely was caused by propane leaking into the trailer from an uncapped pipe.

Ogle and Swafford had just bought and moved into the 1978 trailer, Derlacki said, and had started using the cooktop “without fully examining the propane system before its use.”

A refrigerator was removed from the trailer before they got it, but the propane source for the unit was not capped off, the fire official said.

“Once the propane was turned on to use the stove, the uncapped pipe allowed the trailer to fill with propane until it reached an explosive level,” Derlacki wrote in a news release.

“The Bend Fire Department reminds everyone to inspect their trailer’s and RV’s fuel systems to ensure proper and safe operation. Especially if the trailer is new to you, ensure all connections are tight and there are no open ends,” Derlacki wrote.

“We recommend having a service professional inspect the trailer to ensure all systems are safe for use. Propane is a highly flammable gas and when confined inside a space, can explode such as what happened here.

“This is a timely reminder as the temperatures at night are decreasing and the need for heat and use of fuel systems increase. This is also a good reminder to all those trailers being used for the upcoming hunting season. RVs and trailers are required to have smoke and CO alarms just like your home. Make sure you test those regularly to ensure they are working and replace as needed.”

Most new RVs have gas detectors in them to help prevent this type of incident.
More information can be found at: www.bendoregon.gov/safetyinfo under RV Safety