Propane

Hagerstown-based ThompsonGas said Friday it has acquired three propane marketing companies in two southern states, making it the 16th-largest retail propane company in the United States. The ThompsonGas subsidiary, ThompsonGas-Smokies LLC, purchased Drivers Energy of Dawson, Ga., the Quality/Ideal Gas group in Griffin, Ga., and Tarheel Oil and Propane in North Wilkesboro, N.C., a company news release said. “We are continuing to greatly expand our presence in the Southeast and the whole East Coast of the United States,” President J. Randall Thompson said in the release.

The eastbound lanes of Dual Highway near Eastern Boulevard were closed for almost two hours Friday afternoon while rescue workers responded to an AmeriGas truck that was leaking propane in the parking lot of a strip mall. The propane leak was reported shortly before 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Always Building at 1201 Dual Highway, which is just east of Eastern Boulevard. Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven said the roadway was re-opened to traffic at 3:30 p.m. DeHaven said employees of businesses in the strip mall, which included a Subway restaurant and a Boost Mobile shop, were evacuated in case the truck exploded.

ThompsonGas recentlly announced the acquisition of a Virginia propane business that will increase its annual capacity by approximately 1.5 million gallons. The Hagerstown propane service provider purchased the assets of Campbell's Bottled Gas Inc. and Campbell EasiGas Inc. of Manassas, Va., the company said in a news release last week. It was the 26th acquisition by ThompsonGas since it was founded in 1946 in Boonsboro, the release said. The Campbell companies serve approximately 1,350 bulk customers with 2,000 propane cylinder racks dispensing 20-pound grill cylinders, President J. Randall Thompson said in a May 6 email.

Maryland residents who cook steaks and burgers on some older grills with propane tanks will have to have the tanks modified to comply with safety regulations or buy new tanks, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Those whose grills are equipped with 4-pound to 40-pound propane tanks manufactured before June 30, 1998, must have the tanks modified by April 1 if they want to have them refilled, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The alternative to having the older propane tanks modified is to buy a tank with a shut-off valve designed to keep the tanks from being overfilled, NFPA said.

LEITERSBURG - Tragedy may have been averted by just a few inches early Monday evening during a collision on Leitersburg Pike. Maryland State Police Trooper Andrew Smith said a Ford Explorer narrowly missed hitting a trailer/tanker full of propane during a 6:08 p.m. crash in front of Amerigas in the 20300 block of Leitersburg Pike. The 1987 Kenworth tractor, being driven by Robert Haslacker Jr., of Levels, W.Va., was backing into the Amerigas parking lot at the time of impact. "It could have really been bad," Smith said.

by Ric Dugan / staff photographer click below to view larger image A new propane distribution service in Saint James Village south of Hagerstown is the first of its kind in Western Maryland and could provide inexpensive heating for up to 750 homes, according to the owner. Randy Thompson, chief executive officer of Boonsboro-based Thompson Gas & Electric, said his company today will begin piping propane to 50 homes from an underground 30,000-gallon tank on College Road.

HANCOCK - Two Berkeley Springs, W.Va., men were burned in an accident Thursday night at Rayloc Corp., Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray said in a press release Harry Didawick and Donald R. Stotler were working around a propane filling station when a propane leak was ignited by a fork truck, Mowbray said. A subsequent flash fire burned both men, Mowbray said. Didawick, 63, sustained second- and third-degree burns to his head, neck, chest and arms, Mowbray said Friday morning.

ThompsonGas celebrated the grand opening of its new retail showroom at 6708 Old National Pike in Boonsboro on Sept. 29. The celebration featured a live radio broadcast and giveaways, food from the grill, other refreshments, entertainment and activities. The store offered specials through Oct. 6, and gave away a gas grill and hundreds of gallons of propane to customers. ThompsonGas, with headquarters in Hagerstown, is among the fastest-growing propane companies in the country. It is the 19th-largest retail propane operator in the United States, serving nearly 170,000 customers in 10 states.

Rising water caused three propane tanks to detach from their mooring and float, possibly emptying as they went, down the Conococheague Creek and into the Potomac River Wednesday, Washington County officials sad. It was unknown whether the valves on the tanks were turned off at the time the tanks went into the creek on Hopps Landing Road south of Cearfoss, Washington County Emergency Services Director Joe Kroboth said. The tanks could have been emptying propane as they floated, Kroboth said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- R.M. Roach and Sons Inc. hosted a regional update training class for 25 West Virginia and Maryland handlers of propane and other volatile gas products on Sept. 16. The class was sponsored by the West Virginia National Propane Gas Association and covered basic information and updates on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements for installing gas appliances, transporting gas products and proper handling of propane cylinders. The all-day course was taught by Jim Tucker of Charleston, W.Va.

ThompsonGas recentlly announced the acquisition of a Virginia propane business that will increase its annual capacity by approximately 1.5 million gallons. The Hagerstown propane service provider purchased the assets of Campbell's Bottled Gas Inc. and Campbell EasiGas Inc. of Manassas, Va., the company said in a news release last week. It was the 26th acquisition by ThompsonGas since it was founded in 1946 in Boonsboro, the release said. The Campbell companies serve approximately 1,350 bulk customers with 2,000 propane cylinder racks dispensing 20-pound grill cylinders, President J. Randall Thompson said in a May 6 email.

A truck caught fire after it rolled over in a crash on eastbound U.S. 340 Wednesday night near the intersection of Md. 67, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor. There were three propane tanks in the back of the truck which exploded, the supervisor said. Utility lines were damaged in the fire, the supervisor said. One person in the truck was being transported to Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown after the crash but it was unclear what type of injuries the person had suffered, a Maryland State Police spokesman said.

Hagerstown-based ThompsonGas said Friday it has acquired three propane marketing companies in two southern states, making it the 16th-largest retail propane company in the United States. The ThompsonGas subsidiary, ThompsonGas-Smokies LLC, purchased Drivers Energy of Dawson, Ga., the Quality/Ideal Gas group in Griffin, Ga., and Tarheel Oil and Propane in North Wilkesboro, N.C., a company news release said. “We are continuing to greatly expand our presence in the Southeast and the whole East Coast of the United States,” President J. Randall Thompson said in the release.

The eastbound lanes of Dual Highway near Eastern Boulevard were closed for almost two hours Friday afternoon while rescue workers responded to an AmeriGas truck that was leaking propane in the parking lot of a strip mall. The propane leak was reported shortly before 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Always Building at 1201 Dual Highway, which is just east of Eastern Boulevard. Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven said the roadway was re-opened to traffic at 3:30 p.m. DeHaven said employees of businesses in the strip mall, which included a Subway restaurant and a Boost Mobile shop, were evacuated in case the truck exploded.

ThompsonGas celebrated the grand opening of its new retail showroom at 6708 Old National Pike in Boonsboro on Sept. 29. The celebration featured a live radio broadcast and giveaways, food from the grill, other refreshments, entertainment and activities. The store offered specials through Oct. 6, and gave away a gas grill and hundreds of gallons of propane to customers. ThompsonGas, with headquarters in Hagerstown, is among the fastest-growing propane companies in the country. It is the 19th-largest retail propane operator in the United States, serving nearly 170,000 customers in 10 states.

ThompsonGas, a Hagerstown-based propane company, continues to grow, with the recent acquisitions of two more U.S. firms, the company announced this week. ThompsonGas-Southeast, a subsidiary of the local company, has substantially purchased all of the assets of Cooperative Propane Inc. of Andalusia, Ala., and Fox Gas of Foxworth, Miss., according to a company news release. The Fox Gas purchase was completed in early August, and the Cooperative Propane deal closed Aug. 31, ThompsonGas President and Chief Executive Officer J. Randall Thompson said.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. -- A portion of U.S. 522 in Berkeley Springs was closed for more than five hours Thursday because of a leaking propane tank, emergency services officials said. A 1,000-gallon propane tank in the 400 block of South Washington Street began leaking Thursday morning, bringing traffic on U.S. 522 to a standstill, officials said. Morgan County Sheriff's Department Secretary Sara Currence said the road in the area of the leak was closed at 10 a.m. It was reopened at about 3:45 p.m., officials said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- R.M. Roach and Sons Inc. hosted a regional update training class for 25 West Virginia and Maryland handlers of propane and other volatile gas products on Sept. 16. The class was sponsored by the West Virginia National Propane Gas Association and covered basic information and updates on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements for installing gas appliances, transporting gas products and proper handling of propane cylinders. The all-day course was taught by Jim Tucker of Charleston, W.Va.

An unattended propane heater that ignited nearby materials was the cause of a house fire Saturday afternoon at 20126 Leitersburg Pike, according to a press release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. A passer-by spotted the fire inside a side door of the home at 3:42 p.m., the fire marshal's office said. It took about 10 minutes for firefighters to bring the blaze under control, the office said. The Leitersburg and Long Meadow fire companies responded, along with Air Unit 25 and Community Rescue Service, the fire marshal's office said.

Sweet deal for gas company To the editor: Some things in life never cease to amaze me, but I must say, this takes the cake! My aunt has used a local gas company for many years. She passed away recently and her house is going to be auctioned off. Since the propane tanks belonged to the gas company, we contacted them and requested that the tanks be picked up, and that they send us a refund for the unused propane. Several days later, a gas company employee showed up at the house, not to pick up the tanks, but to fill them!