Tampa Bay, FL – The food truck industry is growing but so are concerns regarding regulation.
A food truck exploded on the streets of Philadelphia last summer. Two 100-gallon propane tanks were mounted on the back. A gas leak caused the explosion. A mother and her daughter died. Ten others were hurt.
Just last week in Miami, a gas leak caused a food truck to explode. No one was hurt, but homes were damaged, windows were shattered, and roofs were caved in.
Earlier this year, an oxygen cylinder in a food truck exploded in North Carolina. One firefighter was injured. In March a Minnesota food truck exploded. Twenty homes were damaged, garage doors blew in, trees ripped apart and two people suffered minor injuries.
The I-Team found in a report by the National Fire Protection Association, a standard 20-gallon tank has the same explosive capability as 170 sticks of dynamite.
Many food trucks today are carrying 100-gallon tanks that have the potential to equal 850 sticks of dynamite.
Fire marshals in Florida tell us there are no state regulations on how much propane a food truck can carry. There are also no state requirements for local fire departments to inspect propane tanks on food trucks.
There are certain municipalities that don’t inspect food trucks, but we do,” Tampa Fire Marshal Milton Jenkins said.
He said after the deadly explosion in Philadelphia, they now make sure to inspect all propane tanks on food trucks. At a recent food truck rally downtown, Inspector Cory Welch walked through every truck checking for proper fire extinguishers and proper ventilation. He uses a device to detect gas leaks, making sure all propane connectors are in good shape and are attached properly.
Chip Royer, a food truck owner, is well aware of the potential danger.
“I hire a professional to do all our gas. That’s one thing I never wanted to have to worry about, he said.
Ashly Anderson helps organize food truck rallies.
“I think that a regulation from the state could be important or helpful,” she said.
Tampa fire inspectors do more than the state requires. Marshal Jenkins says he hopes the state considers making mandates for all cities in Florida to inspect propane tanks and generators on food trucks.
“Oh I think it should because the accidents that we’ve seen, at the end of the day all of those accidents are ones that we wanna prevent, Jenkins said.