Propane explosions destroy Bemidji garages, damage home, trigger evacuations

A fast-moving fire on the 1500 block of Bixby Avenue Northwest sent loud propane blasts through a Bemidji neighborhood Thursday afternoon, destroying two garage-type buildings, damaging a nearby home and vehicle, and forcing about a dozen people out of their homes.

Bemidji Fire said the first call came at about 2:25 p.m. for an explosion and a building fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters arrived to find a detached structure burning hard, and a larger blast soon after helped spread the fire to another building next door. Neighbors near 15th Street and Bixby Avenue, not far from the Bemidji State University campus, reported hearing a large boom around 2:30 p.m. and seeing a fireball. The scene drew Bemidji Fire, Bemidji Ambulance Service, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota State Patrol and Bemidji Police Department, along with utility crews from Minnesota Energy Resources and Otter Tail Power.

Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood said around a dozen people were temporarily evacuated from the block as crews worked to keep the flames from reaching surrounding homes. Power to the neighborhood was knocked out for several hours before being restored later that afternoon. No one was home at the time, law enforcement said at the scene, which likely prevented injuries in a fire that escalated with stunning speed.

Sherwood said the fire appears to have been accidentally caused by an unattended campfire, and wind helped carry the flames. Bemidji Fire also said several 25-pound propane cylinders and one 100-pound cylinder underwent a BLEVE, a violent failure that happens when pressurized tanks are exposed to extreme heat. That chain of events turned a single structure fire into a wider public-safety event, with multiple explosions shaking the block and making the scene more dangerous for firefighters and nearby residents.

Twenty-eight firefighters and nine pieces of equipment worked the fire for about four hours, according to the Bemidji Pioneer. By the time crews had the blaze under control, two garage-type buildings and their contents were a total loss. A nearby house and vehicle sustained moderate damage. The fire left a clear mark on the block, where an afternoon blaze became a reminder of how quickly propane, wind and dry outbuildings can turn one fire into a neighborhood evacuation.