Fast thinking by employee Frank Burks likely saved a warehouse at The Decatur Daily Tuesday morning, fire officials said.

“If he had not cut the propane tank off, it likely would have exploded and this building wouldn’t be here,” Decatur Battalion Chief Lorenzo Jackson said.

Burks was moving newsprint when he noticed flames coming from both sides of the forklift he was riding.

“I could see flames all around me and I thought cut off the propane tank,” he said. “I hit that motor off, cut the propane and ran out of there.”

The 33-pound tank that powers the vehicle is in the back. It was not immediately known how many gallons of propane the tank contained.

Units from four Decatur Fire and Rescue stations responded to the scene at about 7:30 a.m.

Firefighters removed the forklift away from the newsprint after dousing it with water.

They also used fans to remove smoke from the building.

Danny Dietz of Dietz Forklift Repair said a small leak in a valve leading from the tank to the equipment is where the fire likely started.

Burks, a Daily employee for 54 years, said he was getting newsprint ready to ship to Florence where the newspaper is printed.

“Man, I thought if this thing explodes it won’t be good,” he said.

Publisher Clint Shelton praised Burks’ actions.

“We’re thankful that Frank is OK and appreciative of his fast action to cut off the propane,” Shelton said. “His actions prevented the fire from being a lot worse.”