Update: Eagle Crest propane ‘flaring’ could take two days

An Eagle Crest restaurant manager smelled propane at closing time late Monday night, leading to the discovery of a damaged gauge on a buried 800-gallon propane tank and the overnight burning off of its propane in a process known as flaring, officials said.

It originally was expected to be done in eight hours, but weather slowed the process, now expected to take one to two days to complete.

The manager of Niblick & Greene’s on Falcon Crest Drive at the resort west of Redmond quickly contacted its propane supplier, Northern Energy, upon smelling propane around 10:45 p.m., said Redmond Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

Northern Energy investigated and discovered snow and ice build-up in the area of the propane tank had damaged the gauge, Cooper said. The propane company determined they could not safely replace the damaged parts and would need to burn off the propane stored in the tank.

Redmond Fire and Rescue was called to the scene and worked with the company to mitigate the situation, the fire marshal said.

Roads around the vicinity were closed as the process took place, originally expected to take about eight hours, as the tank was recently filled, Cooper said.

However, Cooper said later Tuesday morning the weather had slowed the process and it was expected to take 24 to 48 hours to complete.

Buildings around the incident were being slowly brought back on-line, Cooper said, and some might be able to open later Tuesday, but access to the area remained restricted.

During the flaring process, Cooper said, the flame height could reach up to 20 feet and be visible in the area. Firefighters were standing by throughout the procedure.

“We would like to remind people with propane and gas meters and piping to please keep them clear of snow and ice to prevent this type of damage,” Cooper wrote in a news release, adding that no injuries had occurred.