Thousands of relieved Lincoln residents returned to their homes Thursday as state and federal safety officials begin looking into what triggered a frightening and intense 40-hour propane fire in a rail car on the edge of downtown.

Even as residents applauded the fortunate end to a nerve-wracking situation, questions arose about why a propane storage facility sits across the street from a residential neighborhood and high school, and whether the facility should be moved.

Among those asking is Teresa Brumitt, who lives a few yards from Heritage Propane.

Brumitt said she heard a bang Tuesday. "I went around the corner and saw the fire and thought, 'Oh no!' " Police came down her street calling for residents to leave. "I grabbed my purse and my walker and took off," she said.

When Brumitt returned home Thursday, she had new misgivings about the propane facility across the street. She said she's thankful to safety workers who she believes saved her neighborhood and perhaps her life. "It would be a good idea to see if they could move the propane tanks," she said.

Lincoln Mayor Paul Joiner said city officials have thought about that as well.

"I suspect a great many citizens will ask the same thing," Joiner said. "First thing, though, is what additional safety measures could be put into place should that business remain there?"

But, he added, "if it is the desire of the business to relocate, sure, we will help them do that."

Similar concerns have been raised in Elk Grove, where one of the state's largest propane storage facilities is located not far from homes and a partially finished shopping mall. That site gained notoriety when two men were arrested for plotting to blow up the tanks.

The smaller Lincoln facility, more than four decades old, is owned by Heritage Propane, a national company based in Kentucky that uses the name Northern Energy at some California facilities.

It supplies propane in the Sacramento region for home heating and business use, and has an underground pipe running across the street to serve the Gladding, McBean clay products manufacturing plant in Lincoln.

Gladding, McBean plant manager Bill Padavona told the Bee Thursday that moving the propane facility could hurt his business.

"It's a little early to make a judgment call like that," he said. "Everybody obviously is excited, but until we know what the cause was, I don't know."

Heritage Propane officials could not be reached Thursday. Heritage's lead attorney, Eric Beatty, previously told The Bee no similar incident had occurred at its facilities in the 20-plus years he's been associated with the company. A federal rail incident database indicates hazardous material leaks from rail cars are rare.

The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to look into the Lincoln fire. PUC officials said a quick check of their inspection records found no problems with Heritage Propane.

Cal-OSHA officials also have initiated an investigation. A 37-year-old Heritage employee, who reportedly was on top of the car when it ignited, suffered leg burns. He was treated and released from the burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Cal-OSHA officials said.

Cal-OSHA records indicate no other issues with Heritage in the past five years in California.

The week's events left Lincoln officials wondering just how close they came to disaster, and eager to know the cause. "It could be a spark … it could be a a static discharge, we are not exactly sure," Fire Chief Dave Whitt said.

The fire was reported at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, and remained contained to a single rail car parked on a spur track on Heritage property north of downtown. Workers were preparing to unload propane from the car, officials said.

Fearing an explosion, officials evacuated the occupants of 4,800 residences, businesses and schools. Personnel from fire and law enforcement around the region converged on the scene, and fire suppression experts were flown in from Texas.

On Wednesday, as crews kept the fire from spreading to adjoining propane-filled cars, officials decided on a risky plan to drill a hole in the bottom of the car and siphon the propane into a hastily dug nearby pond, where they would burn it off safely.

The gas in the car began to burn out late Wednesday, however, prompting a strategy change. Crews pumped water in to repressurize the tank, and the remaining gas was relit. The fire burned out permanently early Thursday, city spokeswoman Jill Thompson said.

Lincoln officials said they will conduct their own investigation, focused on assessing what incident responders did well and what they could have done better.

Mayor Joiner said the city also will determine "who is going to pay for the response." City spokeswoman Thompson said an initial assessment put the cost of fighting the fire at about $500,000.

The city issued a state of emergency declaration, a step toward seeking state or federal financial help. Officials with Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the nearby freight track, said they suggested calling the Texas team, and UP will pay for that team's costs.

For the moment, Joiner said he is relieved, and glad to get back to mundane work. "Our community pulled together," he said. "I'm proud to be from Lincoln."

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