A Pennsylvania hunter died over the weekend in what local officials are describing as an accident involving his propane heater.
Raymond Seville, Jr., 76, was hunting from an enclosed blind with his wife on Saturday, November 25, when he attempted to light a propane heater that had been stored in the blind, the Fulton County coroner told Fox TV Stations.
Margaret Seville, Raymond’s wife, said that after several attempts to ignite the heater, she noticed flames around the floor of the blind. She tried to get Raymond out of the blind, but he had mobility issues, and the smoke soon became unbearable. She ran out for a breath of fresh air and tried to re-enter the blind, but the flames had grown out of control.
The coroner told local media that he believes an animal had chewed the hose that connected the heater to the propane tank, and the fuel spread the Seville’s clothes.
Seville is survived by his wife, three daughters, one son, and nine grandchildren, according to an obituary.
“Ed was an outdoorsman. He loved hunting, he especially enjoyed hunting out west,” the obituary reads. “He also enjoyed attending sales, his John Deere tractors and first and foremost, he loved his family and friends. His big hearty laugh, which could be picked out in a crowd, will be missed.”
Seville isn’t the first hunter to die in a blind fire this month. On the opening day of firearms deer season in Michigan, a 75-year-old man died after his portable propane heater ignited his hunting blind.
The man’s grandson told ABC 12 News that he heard loud popping sounds while hunting in a different area that morning. He believed it was his grandfather firing his rifle until he noticed smoke.
When he arrived at the blind, he found his grandfather severely burned and lying deceased just outside the blind. The structure was still on fire when the grandson arrived.
Another hunter in South Dakota nearly met the same fate last week after his propane heater exploded. Brent Wiesenburger told Outdoor Life that a propane tank from the previous season had been left in the heater and began to leak when he tried to turn it on. The fireball didn’t seriously injure Wiesenburger, and he was able to extinguish the heater and bring down his target buck later that morning.
Mr. Heater, the company that manufactures Buddy heaters, advises users to check for leaks every time a hose or tank is connected. The company warns that their heaters can cause fires and explosions, but they can also cause carbon monoxide poisoning. The heaters burn oxygen and release carbon monoxide and are not supposed to be used in structures without a window or roof vent. As an added precaution, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recommends keeping a carbon monoxide detector in any blind or shelter where a propane heater will be running.
Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, and mental confusion. If you feel any of these symptoms while running a heater in an enclosed space, shut off the heater immediately and exit the structure.
