Boom! 911! Sirens!
An emergency response May 1 is not the finale the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce envisioned for its Beach ‘N Food Truck Festival.
However, a surprise ending came when “a huge propane tank blew its top” at about 4:30 p.m., chamber president Terri Kinder said.
Emergency services were called to address the explosion and manage the situation outside Holmes Beach City Hall at 5800 Marina Drive, adjacent to the site of the festival.
The leaking propane tank was less than 50 feet from the area where musicians were staging and performing, so when the tank popped, Kinder, chamber staff, board members and volunteers quickly worked to get people moved to the opposite side of city field in Holmes Beach.
“The tank belongs to the city” and was not being used for the festival, Kinder said.
What caused the top to blow was unknown at the time The Islander went to press.
Because so many people were mingling at the festival, police from the island’s three cities were called to seal off the area and ensure public safety, said Holmes Beach Police Sgt. Tom Fraser, who was at the field.
By 5:15 p.m., Fraser broke the news to Kinder that the festival was being shut down for safety.
“We’re going to cancel the event because it’s going to take over two hours to burn off the propane,” Fraser told The Islander.
Craft vendors quickly broke down their tents and food truck operators packed up and headed out with festivalgoers as West Manatee Fire Rescue firefighters from Ladder 129 began a controlled burn of the propane to stabilize the damaged tank.
“We were having such a good time. It’s our last day in town and we were having so much fun here we decided to wait until tomorrow morning to drive back home,” said Margo Missoni.
Missoni, her husband Giuliano and their two daughters were visiting the island for the first time from Connecticut.
“We were doing so good,” Kinder said of the festival attendance.
The festival was the first for the chamber since 2019 due to COVID-19, Kinder said.
“Vendors said it was off the charts they were doing so good,” Susanne Arbanas said. Arbanas — a longtime board member and ambassador — volunteered for the chamber at the event.
What a huge disappointment for everyone involved. To think, the host city caused the cancellation. So it brings into question what are those huge propane tanks there in the first place, what does the city use the propane for?
Secondly, when you view the cities own Code, they might be against Code:
9.70 – Above-ground tanks, not elevated.
Above-ground tanks that do not meet the elevation requirements of section 9.71 of this ordinance shall:
(1)Be permitted in flood hazard areas (Zone A) other than coastal high hazard areas, provided the tanks are anchored or otherwise designed and constructed to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads during conditions of the design flood, including the effects of buoyancy assuming the tank is empty and the effects of flood-borne debris.(2)Not be permitted in coastal high hazard areas (Zone V).