Thursday, February 26, 2009
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An explosion around 2:30pm at Virgin Oil Ltd. on Youngstown's East Side leaves one worker in critical condition Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009.
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Fire officials are still looking into the cause of the afternoon industrial fire.
STAFF REPORT
YOUNGSTOWN — A 46-year-old Lowellville man was blown off scaffolding when a fiery explosion rocked Virgin Oil Ltd. on the East Side.
A helicopter took the critically burned worker to Akron Children’s Hospital’s burn unit Wednesday afternoon, said Battalion Chief Robert Hian.
The man’s identity was expected to be released today.
The plant, at 1630 Wilson Ave., collects and disposes of solid wastes, according to Manta.com, a small-business profile Web site. The business, started in 2005, has six employees, according to the site.
Hian said brine, oil and gas from well heads that was being separated in a holding tank exploded around 2:30 p.m.
Aside from propelling the burn victim off scaffolding, the explosion blew out a side of the metal building, he said.
A firefighter who cut a hand on a piece of metal stayed on the job.
“The loss is probably more than $50,000,” Hian said.
“It was a nasty smell; We’re unsure what was burning and can’t give a cause yet.”
Fire Chief John O’Neill Jr. said little is known about the cause, but it could have been a spark in a byproduct of an oil well.
“Everything’s still pretty sketchy right now,” he said. “We’re trying to find out for sure what the product is.”
O’Neill described the explosion as violent.
“You can see there’s building material 40 or 50 feet from the building,” he said, gesturing at the scene.
“There’s a minor collapse at the back of the building.”
Plumes of thick, black smoke could be seen from downtown Youngstown.
The fire scene was under control in about 45 minutes, but firefighters remained for roughly four hours to do cleanup and make sure the property was safe.
“This obviously caused a large fire,” the chief said of the explosion. Asked if there was a hazard from any toxin, he said, “There’s an odor in the air, so we’re making sure everyone has masks.”
O’Neill said the plant will be shut down until the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency can inspect the building.