Service issues public warning about stolen gas cylinders

The Fire Service is warning the public not to buy, or attempt to use, six large LPG gas cylinders that have been stolen from a Christchurch factory.

Christchurch Assistant Area Manager Dave Burford says the tanks are designed to release liquid LPG rather than gas and if they are connected to a domestic supply or to a barbecue they are likely to cause a serious fire.

“Liquid LPG won’t ignite on a stove or barbecue because it is a liquid. However the liquid vapourises on contact with the air and will spread across a wide area very quickly. If someone is smoking anywhere in this area, or there is another source of ignition, it will cause a very extensive fire,” he said.

Liquid LPG is the gas that led to the Tamahere cool store explosion in 2008 and must be handled carefully. Any leak is potentially extremely dangerous, he said.

If liquid LPG comes into contact with skin, it can also cause severe ‘cold burns’.

The stolen cylinders are 1.27 metres tall and 360mm in diameter and each weighs 85kg. They have a blue top and a distinctive black stripe down one side.

The Fire Service urges anyone who comes across the cylinders to report them to the Christchurch police immediately or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.