Tanker truck explosion kills 1, injures 3

Workers were cleaning the truck using a blow torch when the blast occurred.

FALLSBURG, Ohio (AP) — A tanker truck used to transport oil exploded Friday outside a garage at an oil company, killing one person and injuring at least three others, authorities said.

Terry Ramsey, 54, of Frazeysburg, died at the scene of the explosion in central Ohio, said Licking County Detective Capt. Dave Starling.

Workers were using a blow torch to clean the truck after delivering oil to a processing plant, said Mary Ann Township Fire Chief Kelly Smith. The heat was used to liquefy cooled oil so it would drain from the tanker’s valves, Smith said.

“They overheated the tank, and that allowed pressure to build up inside it,” Smith said. “And that’s what caused it to explode.”

James Decker, 33, of Newark, was flown to Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus for non-life threatening injuries, Starling said. Decker is Ramsey’s nephew, and both work for Roustabout, a family-owned oil business, Starling said.

Clayton Thomas, 54, of Newark, was taken to a nearby hospital for anxiety issues after the explosion, Starling said.

Smith said two people were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

The garage is located north of Fallsburg about 40 miles east of Columbus.