Wednesday, December 22, 2004 4:12:16 PM
OT -- Zamboni explodes, destroys arena
Battling the fire
Associated Press
After the fire
Bob King, Associated Press/Duluth News
Matt McKinney, Star Tribune
December 21, 2004
Zamboni explosion stokes theories, but no answers
Duluth MN - A day after a Zamboni exploded at a Duluth ice arena, injuring broomball players and sparking a devastating blaze, men who use the machines to groom ice at rinks around the state said they have little fear of clambering back up onto their rigs.
"Zambonis don't just blow up," said Walt Bruley, a longtime driver who works the ice at the Duluth Entertainment and Civic Center. "No one should ever fear that there will be an outbreak of exploding resurfacers."
Investigators have yet to determine what caused the Sunday night blast at Duluth's Peterson Arena.
"When I first heard about it I thought it was a mistake," said Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson. "How the hell does a Zamboni start a building on fire?"
Witnesses said they suspected the explosion came from a room containing an ice-grooming machine. Bruley, left to speculate as investigators piece together what happened, said he suspects a leak of some kind in the Zamboni's propane tanks sparked the blaze. But even that explanation leads to more questions, he said.
"Generally, if that happens, you can smell that," he said.
Duluth Fire Chief John Strongitharm said the initial blast in the room was followed by at least two explosions. He thought they were caused by propane tanks stored near the ice groomer.
Ice-grooming machines, commonly known by the brand name Zamboni, typically use the flammable gas as fuel. (The machine that exploded was a propane-fueled Zamboni model that hails from the '70s, according to Bruley.)
"I would think it is very fortunate that the explosion happened when the people were away from that door and they all had the sense to drop their broomball sticks and get out," Strongitharm said.
Strongitharm estimated the damage to Peterson Arena was more than $600,000, which doesn't include any ice-making or other arena equipment.
Bergson said his staff has already determined the city's insurance will not cover the cost of replacing Peterson Arena.
"Even if you started on raising money on building in the spring, you'd be really lucky to have something ready for next season," he said.
The investigation into what caused the initial blast could take several days or weeks, though city officials are sure it was an accident. "We don't expect to find that there was any foul play," said Bergson.
A modern version of the Zamboni relies on electric batteries, as opposed to propane or compressed gas tanks, but many arenas use older versions of the machines because updating to a newer model is too expensive. Still, safety problems with the older Zambonis are few and far between, many operators said.
"I've played hockey for 20 years and have never heard of anything like that," said William Dieleman, who helps maintain the ice at the Plymouth Ice Center. "That's not an issue."
A Zamboni at Braemar Arena in Edina caught fire in 1980 just five days after it arrived, according to arena manager Larry Thayer.
"It was literally five days old, and a fire did start from the electrical wire harness," he said. "We had our fire extinguishers right on it." Thayer, who has no direct knowledge of the Duluth blast, said his best guess is that a similar fire started within the unit's electrical system and somehow jumped to the fuel lines.
"I just can't imagine where that spark would come from," he said.
The exploding Zamboni was the talk of the day for driver Travis Larson, who maintains the ice at Xcel Energy Center. He fielded calls from concerned friends and family all day on Monday, but he told all of them the same thing: "It's very safe; it was just a freak accident."
Larson said he dimly recalls hearing of a Zamboni fire in another state, a long time ago.
"But I've never heard of one exploding here in Minnesota," he said. "It shouldn't be blown out of proportion by any means."
The loss of one of its two indoor hockey facilities is a major blow to the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association and its 800 youth hockey players, according to executive director Clarke Coole. "This is going to impact our program enormously," he said.
With reporting from The Associated Press
Battling the fire
Associated Press
After the fire
Bob King, Associated Press/Duluth News
Matt McKinney, Star Tribune
December 21, 2004
Zamboni explosion stokes theories, but no answers
Duluth MN - A day after a Zamboni exploded at a Duluth ice arena, injuring broomball players and sparking a devastating blaze, men who use the machines to groom ice at rinks around the state said they have little fear of clambering back up onto their rigs.
"Zambonis don't just blow up," said Walt Bruley, a longtime driver who works the ice at the Duluth Entertainment and Civic Center. "No one should ever fear that there will be an outbreak of exploding resurfacers."
Investigators have yet to determine what caused the Sunday night blast at Duluth's Peterson Arena.
"When I first heard about it I thought it was a mistake," said Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson. "How the hell does a Zamboni start a building on fire?"
Witnesses said they suspected the explosion came from a room containing an ice-grooming machine. Bruley, left to speculate as investigators piece together what happened, said he suspects a leak of some kind in the Zamboni's propane tanks sparked the blaze. But even that explanation leads to more questions, he said.
"Generally, if that happens, you can smell that," he said.
Duluth Fire Chief John Strongitharm said the initial blast in the room was followed by at least two explosions. He thought they were caused by propane tanks stored near the ice groomer.
Ice-grooming machines, commonly known by the brand name Zamboni, typically use the flammable gas as fuel. (The machine that exploded was a propane-fueled Zamboni model that hails from the '70s, according to Bruley.)
"I would think it is very fortunate that the explosion happened when the people were away from that door and they all had the sense to drop their broomball sticks and get out," Strongitharm said.
Strongitharm estimated the damage to Peterson Arena was more than $600,000, which doesn't include any ice-making or other arena equipment.
Bergson said his staff has already determined the city's insurance will not cover the cost of replacing Peterson Arena.
"Even if you started on raising money on building in the spring, you'd be really lucky to have something ready for next season," he said.
The investigation into what caused the initial blast could take several days or weeks, though city officials are sure it was an accident. "We don't expect to find that there was any foul play," said Bergson.
A modern version of the Zamboni relies on electric batteries, as opposed to propane or compressed gas tanks, but many arenas use older versions of the machines because updating to a newer model is too expensive. Still, safety problems with the older Zambonis are few and far between, many operators said.
"I've played hockey for 20 years and have never heard of anything like that," said William Dieleman, who helps maintain the ice at the Plymouth Ice Center. "That's not an issue."
A Zamboni at Braemar Arena in Edina caught fire in 1980 just five days after it arrived, according to arena manager Larry Thayer.
"It was literally five days old, and a fire did start from the electrical wire harness," he said. "We had our fire extinguishers right on it." Thayer, who has no direct knowledge of the Duluth blast, said his best guess is that a similar fire started within the unit's electrical system and somehow jumped to the fuel lines.
"I just can't imagine where that spark would come from," he said.
The exploding Zamboni was the talk of the day for driver Travis Larson, who maintains the ice at Xcel Energy Center. He fielded calls from concerned friends and family all day on Monday, but he told all of them the same thing: "It's very safe; it was just a freak accident."
Larson said he dimly recalls hearing of a Zamboni fire in another state, a long time ago.
"But I've never heard of one exploding here in Minnesota," he said. "It shouldn't be blown out of proportion by any means."
The loss of one of its two indoor hockey facilities is a major blow to the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association and its 800 youth hockey players, according to executive director Clarke Coole. "This is going to impact our program enormously," he said.
With reporting from The Associated Press
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