A propane fireball explosion in a New Zealand cold store close to the urban area of Hamilton, caused by a leak of the hydrocarbon gas used as a refrigerant, caused the death of a fireman and left six others seriously injured, one of them critically (having burns to 70 per cent of his body).
While the company had been granted the agreement in 2002 to build two new cold stores on the site, based on non-toxic and non-flammable HCFC-22, apparently it decided to switched to propane for its refrigeration units, although experts opinion is that propane vapour explosion is one of the worst types of \"hydrocarbon ignitions\" due to its volatility.
The plant director said the plant's safety systems were modern and fully compliant with standards.
After the accident the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) regulations could change, with the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand planning a review of cold store refrigeration.
Source :
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/index.cfm?c_id=1501820