One adult, two children injured during ice fishing trip on Harriman Reservoir

WILMINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10)– Three anglers, one adult and two children, were injured by a vapor cloud flash fire on February 1 during an ice-fishing trip on Harriman Reservoir. According to Wilmington Police, the explosion happened when a propane-fueled heating device had a faulty propane cylinder.

According to the police department, the accident happened around 9 a.m., and officers received the report of the explosion around 11 a.m. when the injured persons arrived at an area emergency care facility. As police began investigating the incident, they discovered that these flash burns had been happening throughout the season.

Police said a witness, who transported the three from the ice to their car, had seen several instances where pockets of methane from the heating devices were released through holes in the ice, ignited and burned. In this instance, the investigation determined the propane-fueled heating device that was in use in the ice shanty at the time of the flash fire may have had a faulty propane cylinder attached, which reportedly may have contributed to the creation of the vapor cloud in the confined shanty.

However, police said it was not possible to determine if the fire was caused by a propane or methane vapor cloud or if it was a combination of both. Police said there were no other reports of these flash fires happening to fishers until this incident.

“A number of people from the community have contacted Wilmington Police Department about the safety concerns involved with this incident and requested among other suggestions that persons (or just children) be banned from the ice and that signage be posted to warn people of the methane hazard under the ice with instructions on how to vent the methane from under the ice,” the police department stated.

According to the department, they are unsure of safe ways to clear the methane pockets from under the ice.

“Even if ice fishing holes are drilled and given time to clear any methane, it is possible that methane pockets trapped between the ice and water surface can move and shift. This could mean that even once an ice fishing access hole is cleared, there is no way to guarantee that a gas pocket could not move under the ice and vent at any time, creating a potential hazard,” they added.

The investigation into the fire was assisted by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the Vermont State Police Arson Unit. The police department said there have been no other reported injuries.

As anglers continue to fish, the Wilmington Police Department recommends that anyone ice fishing on the Harriman Reservoir take precautions when using an ignition source. It’s also recommended anglers do not use an ignition source when in a confined air space like an ice shanty.