Published Tuesday, June 25, 2002
RENO (AP) -- Three employees were seriously burned and about 200 residents evacuated after as many as 25 explosions and a fire struck a propane supply company on Monday night.
Between 20 and 30 fire departments responded to the blaze when the first emergency calls came in just before 8 p.m., officials said. The fire was still smoldering just before 6 a.m. today and firefighters remained on the scene.
Residents were evacuated from homes near the Goss Gas facility, between Franklin and Oil City.
"There are two large storage tanks at the plant and any explosion could take out four blocks," said Lt. Mark Whitman of the Sugar Creek Police Department. "We evacuated those homes as a precautionary measure."
Two men and a woman were flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh with burns over 30 to 35 percent of their bodies. They remained in critical condition this morning, police said. Police have not released the names of the victims.
One firefighter from Rocky Grove fire department was treated for heat exhaustion.
The initial explosions at the facility were in a large, corrugated metal building that contains a storage area for gas and oxygen and also company offices, Whitman said.
State police closed off about seven miles of state Route 8 between Franklin and Oil City. Only emergency crews were allowed access to the area.
Fire crews soaked down the building late Monday night to prevent further flare-ups, police Chief Rick Baker said.
About 200 people were taken to a parking lot nearby, Baker said.
Temporary facilities were erected and the Red Cross was on the scene.
Whitman said some families could be returned to their homes early today.
Goss Gas provides propane and other materials for homes and industrial uses, according to a company Web site.
Officials said the cause of the fire was not immediately known.