Propane gas caused the explosion and fire that levelled part of Chadbourn’s Budget Inn early today (Wednesday). The only victim of the fire is in critical condition in the Chapel Hill burn center.
Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman said Chadbourn Police responding to a call about an explosion at 4:35 a.m. found the man in the doorway area of a common kitchen. Mayor Phillip Britt said CPD Officer Johnathan Driggers pulled the victim form the burning wreckage.
The man is one of “28 or 29” migrant farmworkers who were staying at the motel, Blackman said. The crews stage out of the motel during harvest season. The victim may have been preparing a meal for the crew before they headed out for work, Blackman said.
“There was initially some confusion because the leader of the group wasn’t sure exactly how many people were there,” Blackman said. First responders were also dealing with a language barrier, Blackman said, since few of the workers spoke English.
The victim was the only person in the building at the time of the explosion, Blackman said.
The 1955-era motel has multiple buildings about ten feet apart. Deputy Fire Marshal Chase Lancaster said one building was destroyed and another was heavily damaged. The building that was destroyed was used for storage and as a common kitchen, but it shared an attic with another four-room structure. One room in that building caught fire as the flames moved through the attic space. The other three rooms sustained major water damage.
“The victim appears to live in an apartment around the corner from the fire,” Lancaster said.
A three-burner camp-type stove in the kitchen area was found with the switches in the “on” position, Blackman said.
“After a joint investigation it has been determined that the fire was accidental in nature,” Blackman said. “It has been determined that it could not be ruled out that human error caused an LP gas leak that resulted in the explosion, thus causing the fire as well as the collapse of the building.”
The explosion rocked nearby homes and was heard as much as five miles away. The walls of the first structure were blown out, and Blackman said there was a “large debris field.”
The fire officials said that the explosion did not involve a crystal methamphetamine lab.
“There were rumors, and we had to check that out to ensure the safety of all our first responders,” he said.
Lancaster and Blackman praised the response of the multiple departments who responded to the call.
“We really had a good turnout,” Blackman said, “especially since at that time of the morning, most people are getting ready for work.”
In addition to Klondyke-Chadbourn, units and personnel from Cerro Gordo Fire and Rescue, Roseland, Evergreen, North Whiteville, Brunswick, and Whiteville fire departments responded. Whiteville’s Emergency Services Drone Rescue Team also assisted in the search. Columbus Emergency Services and the fire Marshall’s office brought the county air truck to service firefighters breathing apparatus.
Chadbourn Police were first on the scene. The towns public works department used heavy equipment to move wreckage in the search for additional victims. Mayor Phillip Britt and his councilwoman wife, Shannon Britt, both of whom are paramedics, assisted in caring for the victim while rescue was en route, then helped fight the fire.
Two State Bureau of Investigation arson experts and two agents from the State Fire Marshall’s Office were on scene by 8:30 a.m., Blackman said.
“It was a team effort, all the way around,” he said. “Everybody came together and worked great together.”
