A popcorn food trailer was destroyed Thursday when an explosion — a bit more vigorous than what is usually associated with the crunchy treat — resulted from a propane leak.
The Krazy Kid Kettle Korn food trailer, which was parked in the lot of the EZ Too Auto Wash on East Boxelder Road in Gillette, blew into pieces when an electric space heater ignited the leaked propane, causing an explosion around 3:30 p.m. Thursday that was heard as far as a mile away.
According to Campbell County Fire Marshal Eric Acton, the blast was consistent with explosions of this kind.
“It’s really common,” he said. “We’re lucky that the (propane) tank itself didn’t explode.”
No one was injured in the explosion, Acton said, and the resulting small fire was put out with an extinguisher.
One diner at Frida’s House of Mexican Food on Camel Drive about one-half mile from the explosion heard a loud bang and said that both customers and staff went out into the parking lot to see what was going on.
Another witness in the Indian Hill condominiums a few blocks from Frida’s said his sliding glass door was rattled by the force of the boom.
There’s no word on how much popcorn was lost or whether any kernels were burnt as a result of the blast.
