Crime & Safety
Upper Saucon Pair Hurt in Propane Explosion
A propane tank blew up when an Upper Saucon man attempted to drill a hole in it Sunday. The blast injured him and his wife.
An Upper Saucon couple received burns when a propane tank exploded while the man was trying to drill a hole in the tank to recycle it, township police said.
Steven Luther, 53, of 6064 Main Street was attempting to recycle a propane tank in the hallway of his home about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Upper Saucon Police said. Someone had told him that the way to prepare a tank for recycling was to drill a hole in it and that's what he tried to do.
The tank blew up, blowing out a front window and leaving Luther with burns to his head, face and hands and his wife, Merrie Luther, 56, with burns to an elbow, police said.
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The blast started a fire but a passerby helped put it out before police and firefighters arrived.
The Luthers were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where they were in stable condition Sunday evening, according to a Morning Call report.