Man, 38, dies of injuries suffered in fall trailer fire in Joppa
Jan. 22—A man died Saturday of injuries he suffered in October when his trailer exploded in Joppa due to an improperly connected propane tank, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Robert G. Kellogg, 38, died at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was being treated for the serious burns he suffered during the explosion Oct. 18, according to a Sunday news release from the fire marshal's office. Kellogg was an employee at B&T Services at 415 Pulaski Highway, where he had permission to park his 30-foot camper.
When the trailer exploded in October, Kellogg told responding Harford County Sheriff's Office deputies that his trailer had exploded after he was having problems with his heater. Surveillance footage showed he had used a forklift to move a 120-gallon propane tank onto his camper, and fire marshal investigators determined that the tank had been improperly connected to the trailer's heating system, causing the structure to go up in flames approximately 75 minutes later.
Paramedics took Kellogg to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he was treated in the burn center for burns over 60% of his body. He was later taken to the intensive care unit at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. A dog was also injured in the fire, and was taken to the Bel Air Animal Emergency Hospital with minor singeing to its fur.
In a statement, State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci emphasized the importance of hiring licensed professionals to work with gas lines.
"Do not try to repair or modify valves, regulators, connectors, or tank parts," he said in the statement. "Propane cylinders have special components which keep them safe for use with grills and other propane appliances. An improperly connected tank or appliance can cause a gas leak."
