OCEAN CITY — A significant residential fire in Ocean City last weekend prompted the Fire Marshal’s Office this week to issue a reminder about the dangers of converting gas appliances to different types of fuels.
Around 7 p.m. last Friday, the Ocean City Fire Department was dispatched to a reported house fire on Flounder Lane. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control quickly but not before causing significant damage to the residence. It was determined the fire originated in a living room gas furnace, which had not been properly converted to utilize the propane fuel currently supplied to the residence.
“Most fuel-burning appliances available today are designed so that they can be converted to use either propane or natural gas,” said Ocean City Fire Marshal David Hartley. “The internal connections and gas utilization fittings are designed to work with a particular gas that has a specific pressure, but must be set up from the factory or by a qualified installer to ensure they match the type of gas supplied to the site.”
The Fire Marshal’s Office is advising before installing any type of fuel-burning appliance to check with the utility carrier to ensure if the home or business has natural gas or propane and to ensure the installer properly converts the appliance to match the supply.
The issue is more relevant than ever with Chesapeake Utilities and its subsidiary Sandpiper Energy earlier this month completing the years’ long process of extending natural gas into the resort.
With thousands expected to make the connection from propane to natural gas, Sandpiper Energy has been proactive in advising residents and business owners, according to Chesapeake Utilities Vice President Jim Moore.
“Sandpiper Energy anticipates converting more than 3,500 accounts from propane to natural gas in Ocean City throughout the next several years,” Moore said this week. “We fully support the Ocean City Fire Department’s proactive efforts to inform customers about the importance of ensuring that appliances are operating properly. We plan to begin our first conversions from propane to natural gas in the next couple of weeks and we are looking forward to working with the fire department in continuing our commitment to safety.”
Moore said the best way to ensure a proper connection of any equipment is to have a licensed contractor perform the installation.
