Grills uncovered across U.P.

MARQUETTE — With the summer fast approaching, grills across the U.P. are being torn of their covers and put to good use.

But as with anything involving fire or gas, there are safety measures that need to be taken before you get to that next round of brats.

In small cities, propane tank disasters are not outlandishly common. Maybe not like they are in big cities, where food trucks and grills alike have had explosions that resulted in casualties.

In order to avoid being the next of those casualties, Marquette Fire Inspector, Tom Dunleavy has some words of advice.

“(We want people to keep the grill) at least ten feet away from their house or other combustibles,” he began, “Also, we want to make sure that when they’re using propane, that they open their grill before they start to light it. We don’t want the propane to build up inside the grill with the top shut.”

The Fire Inspector also warns that the hosing that connects to the grill from the tank needs to be tightened so there are no leaks.

At its surface, that sounds like common knowledge, but keep in mind a mere 20 pound cylinder of propane is equal to 170 sticks of dynamite.

So please, be careful.