Officials issue warning about possibly tainted kerosene after fire damages Berea home
A heater exploded, causing a fire at a home in Berea Friday morning, and concerns over the possibility of tainted kerosene led to a kerosene pump being closed at a local gas station.
The Berea Fire Department urged anyone who bought kerosene at the 76 gas station located at 865 Ky. 1016 in Berea to check it before using it, because the kerosene “may have gasoline or some other form of flammable substance mixed in it.”
“If you or anyone you know has recently purchased kerosene from the 76 gas station located at 865 KY-1016, we strongly advise you to check your kerosene before use,” the fire department said in a Facebook post. “It can be extremely dangerous to use the wrong fuel in kerosene heaters.”
The fire department said the station was previously known as 1016 Shell. Attempts to reach the 76 station were not immediately successful Friday night.
Adam Holt said his father-in-law bought the kerosene Thursday afternoon at a station they don’t normally use, “getting ready for the cold.”
At about 6 a.m. Friday, Holt said, his father-in-law began putting the newly-purchased kerosene into their heater.
“As soon as he started pumping it in, it blew up in his face,” Holt said, setting the kitchen on fire.
As his father-in-law tried to get the heater outside, Holt said there was a second explosion that “blew him out the door” of the home on Short Line Pike in Berea.
Holt’s wife was able to get out with one of their dogs, but he said their other dog and cat died. He said a second cat hasn’t been found.
Holt said his father-in-law was taken to an emergency room with “first- and second-degree burns on his head, hands and feet.”
Berea Mayor Bruce Fraley said the man who was taken to the hospital was later released.
“We took a sample of the kerosene” used in the family’s heater, as well as a sample from the gas station, he said.
“It did not appear to be pure kerosene,” Fraley said.
He said the fire department asked the business owner to cover the kerosene pump.
“The pump has now been shut off and will not be turned back on until the investigation is complete,” Fraley said. “Our number one concern is public safety.”
Fraley said he thinks the state fire marshal’s office would be the agency responsible for inspecting the pump.
With the assistance of state officials, Fraley said the kerosene samples will be tested to determine their contents.
In the meantime, he urged anyone who bought kerosene at the gas station to “err on the side of caution.”
Holt said he was at work when the fire broke out, and by the time he got home, “there was nothing left.”
“The house is a total loss,” he said.
For now, Holt said he and his family are staying in an Airbnb rental, and he said they’re thankful for an outpouring of support from the community.
“If anybody got kerosene from that gas station, better check it good,” Holt said. “I don’t want anybody else to have to go through this.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 6:24 PM.
