Faulty propane tank sends zoo worker to hospital

A mishap with a propane tank sent one Gladys Porter Zoo employee to the hospital on Thursday morning with first and second degree "frost bite," according to Zoo officials.

Longtime zoo maintenance worker Oscar Cerillo was filling tanks around the facility with propane to heat the habitats of animals during a chilly morning when the bottom of one tank fell out. Cerillo was blown back by the pressure of the gas and had minor burns on his hands and face, which Zoo Facilities Director Jerry Stones said resembled windburn.

"Even if those vapors don’t hurt you, we’re not doctors. We wanted to send him just to be on the safe side," Stones said.

Stones also called the fire department, which arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.

Stones said that passersby observed a white cloud of vaporized propane, measuring about 15 feet high and 8 feet across.

"An inspection of the propane tank revealed that it had rust along the inside which caused the bottom to burst when filled," zoo officials said in a press release.

The zoo has four new propane tanks and about five older ones, Stones said. The tanks are periodically replaced, as they show signs of age.

"I am having the propane company inspect every tank," Stones said.

No animals were injured and the event did not interrupt normal zoo operations.