Propane Leak Caused Winthrop Explosion Investigators Say Pipe May Have Cracked Under Weight Of Snow

A leaking propane line that may have cracked under the weight of heavy snow is to blame for an explosion and fire that destroyed a sporting goods store and damaged eight other businesses.

Investigators concluded their probe Friday, finding the blast was accidental.

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms worked for three days with the Okanogan County sheriff’s office, the city fire department and the fire marshal’s office searching for clues to the Tuesday night explosion at The Outdoorsman sporting goods store.

Investigators dug through at least 2 feet of snow to find the leaking pipe outside of Three-Fingered Jack’s, next to The Outdoorsman.

“The pipe was laid up against the building, and it had no clamps to hold it to the building,” said Fire Marshal Joe Mueller.

About three gallons of propane traveled through a crack in the concrete wall between The Outdoorsman and Three-Fingered Jack’s over a two-hour period before the building exploded.

Mueller said officials could only speculate on how the propane ignited. But no additional investigation was planned, he said.

Three-Fingered Jack’s sustained serious damage in the wall adjacent to The Outdoorsman and behind the bar, Mueller said. Minor damage from a small fire occurred inside the Artisans, located on the other side of The Outdoorsman.

“The real damage is in The Outdoorsman,” Mueller said. “Not only is it a total burnout, it took the roof completely off, and I imagine the concrete walls will have to be pulled out.”

Betty and Ralph Hagenbuch, part owners of the building, said they’re not sure whether they’ll rebuild.

“We haven’t made any kind of decisions at all,” Betty Hagenbuch said.

She said she doesn’t think they are fully insured, but added, “everybody is just so thankful that nobody was hurt.”

The explosion occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday on the main street of this Western-theme town in the Cascade Range. Several people were heading home from a basketball game and businesses in the area were still open.

Noel Simmons, a waitress across the street at Sam’s Place, narrowly escaped the blast’s full force. She was knocked over from inside the restaurant shortly after returning from making a night deposit at the bank.