Sheriff: Propane explosion may have caused fire that killed Middle Georgia man

A Putnam County man was killed Wednesday in an apparently accidental explosion that may have been caused when a propane tank blew up in a shipping container on farmland northeast of Eatonton.

Sheriff’s and fire officials were called to the scene near New Phoenix Road and Georgia Highway 44, about four miles from Eatonton, at about 7 a.m.

Charles Roy Embry, 74, proprietor of Embry Farm Services based half a mile or so to the east on New Phoenix, was found dead in a shipping container that caught fire, Sheriff Howard Sills said in statement.

“Evidence at the scene is indicative of an accidental propane explosion and subsequent fire,” the statement noted.

The cause of the blaze was being investigated.

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 11:32 AM.

Joe Kovac Jr.

The Telegraph

Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.