Gas storage tank explodes in Damascus

Gas storage tank explodes in Damascus

DAMASCUS

An oil and gas storage tank exploded on Thursday afternoon near a property on Diagonal Road in Damascus.

The Damascus Fire Department, along with Goshen Township Police responded to the incident behind a property at 13655 Diagonal Road.

Detective Kevin Stratton, of the Goshen Township Police Department, said no smoke or fire broke out and it was still unclear on Friday morning what caused the blast, when the cap on the tank blew off, rupturing the tank.

Stratton added that a large amount of oil was visible on the ground, which required clean-up.

Property owners in the area reported a white plume of smoke, but none was visible when firefighters arrived, Stratton said. Landowners in the area also reported a loud noise.

The incident comes after two similar incidents, one in Wayne County’s Chippewa Township and another in Minerva, when storage tanks exploded in early March just days apart. In those instances, firefighters were called in to extinguish the flames.

The Damascus Fire Department is currently investigating the incident.