Coral Ridge Man Burned by Gas Grill Explosion

   The man severely burned in a propane-fueled fire on Sunday, January 21, 2001, was in serious condition at Broward General Medical Center the next day. Edward Bianchi, 43, was burned on much of his upper body while grilling pork at his home, in the 2700 block of Northeast 26th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, when propane from the grill burst into flames, fire officials said.

   The resulting fire in the Coral Ridge neighborhood caused an estimated $350,000 worth of damages, officials said.

    Chris Weir, an assistant fire marshal with Fort Lauderdale Fire rescue, said on Monday that the 150-gallon propane tank feeding Bianchi's built-in grill did not explode. "The tank didn't explode but there was a gas explosion. There was a small leak in the hose attached to the grill. The owners have been smelling gas for some time but didn't know it was coming from a feeder line that came through the wall and into the grill," Weir said.

   "Mr. Bianchi said when he flipped over the meat that's when the mixture ignited into a flash fire," Weir said. "It was so strong the fire went through the roof and out the back sliding doors."

   Bianchi was entertaining his 11-year-old son, 13-year old daughter and a girlfriend and had placed a pork roast into a barbecue pit built into the rear of his house, which was destroyed by the fire.

   It took more than 35 firefighters nearly an hour to bring the blaze under control. Two firefighters were treated for dehydration and heat exhaustion. No one else was hurt. Fire officials declared the house an unsafe structure. Weir said such fires are uncommon but warned that if the odor of gas is detected it is prudent to call 911 and leave the premises.