L.P.G. explosion denied

Press, 5 November 1984, Page 1

L.P.G. explosion denied

Special correspondent Hamilton

Mystery last evening surrounded the cause of fire in a liquefied petrolem gaspowered car in which a Te Awamutu woman burned to death at Kihikihi early on Saturday. The heat from the blaze was so intense that firefighters were unable to get into the car in time to save the driver she was

Robyn Marie Bell, aged 32

The chief of Te Awamutu Fire Brigade, Mr Don Hallett, denied earlier reports that the L.P.G. tank in the boot of the car had exploded. The tank was still intact in spite of the feroc-

ity of the blaze, he said last evening.

Although the car was fuelled only by L.P.G. and was i a “blazing inferno” when his brigade arrived about 12.30 a.m. on Saturday, it would be pure conjecture to assume that the fire was caused by a rupture of the fuel line after a head-on collision with another vehicle, he said. The car was under lock and key at a panel shop last evening awaiting a police decision today on how the accident should best be investigated. Mrs Bell’s sister, Mrs Virginia Mylchreest, also of Te Awamutu, is still in a criticcal condition in Waikato

Hospital with intensive burns. She and her husband, Mr James Mylchreest, were pulled out of the blaze by Kihikihi residents.

Mr Mylchreest, the Waipa County health inspector, suffered a broken jaw and concussion, but was reported to be in a comfortable condition last evening. Mr Hallett praised the actions of their rescuers, saying that the fire was so intense that two high-pres-sure hoses had to be turned on it. The assistant chief traffic superintendent of the Ministry of Transport in Wellington, Mr Henry Gore, said that as far as he knew there had been no previous serious car fire in New Zealand

caused by gas fuels blowing

“It is an unknown area at the moment,” he said. “There have been some rather monster explosions overseas, but not in motorvehicles.”

Mr Gore said the investigators had to be careful not to jump to any conclusions over the cause of the Kihikihi fire. “But until the cause is ascertained we are certainly fairly anxious about it,” he said. He would consult the chief automotive engineer for the Ministry today and it was likely Ministry reports would be called for in the pending police investigation.