Explosive wake-up call

Saturday, December 3, 2005

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The explosion happened after propane tanks were ignited.

An arson investigation is underway after a fire rocked a New Port Richey neighborhood Saturday morning.

The blaze at an auto salvage yard on Voorhees Road ignited propane tanks, causing several explosions.

"My husband thought that a plane had crashed," resident Priscilla Starling said.

A newspaper carrier delivering papers called 911.

"There was nobody inside the building, but there was numerous propane tanks inside," fire investigator Steve Smith said. "Rather than risk the safety of firefighters, we went into defensive mode."

The owner of the property had leased the auto salvage yard to Douglas Rucker Auto Parts, but had also used the building in the yard.

"She's really devastated," said the owner's cousin, Lycia McDonald. "She lost a lot of personal collectibles."

The fire is considered suspicious. Pasco County Fire Rescue said it is still trying to figure out what sparked the flames. Investigators are looking into whether fire extinguishers were stolen from the property Friday.