Coffee Kit Flashover RLS 2015

On the Grizzly Complex, a spike camp crew worker, who was a Job Corps student, awoke at 0330 hours for their work shift. They proceeded to their first assigned task of the day, making coffee using a coffee kit that makes approximately 20 gallons of coffee. The student had difficulty getting the propane gas used to heat the coffee kit to flow. They turned each of the knobs on the three adjustment points of the coffee kit—with no success. The student then made an adjustment with a wrench and noticed propane flowing immediately. Upon realizing the propane bottle valve was on all the way, the student quickly shut down the propane from the propane bottle valve. After a few seconds, now that propane was flowing, the student grabbed the lighter to light the propane burner. They slightly opened the valve located at the propane bottle and clicked the lighter once—with no flame developing. They clicked the lighter again. A huge plume of fire flared-up into the Job Corps student’s face and body.

RLS, Burn Injury, Equipment, Medevac, Burn Injury