Explosion & Fire in St. Albans

On July 3, 2014, at 8:18 a.m. the St. Albans City Fire Department responded to Mac’s Quick Stop at 233 South Main Street for an explosion and fire at the gas pumps with one serious injury. Prior to the Fire Department’s arrival the fire was extinguished with a dry chemical fire extinguisher.

Responding Firefighters quickly secured the scene and determined that the underground gasoline storage tanks are in the process of being replaced and that a male employee of Champlain Oil Corporation (COCO) was in a pump pit alongside of the gas pumps cutting metal conduit with a metal cutting saw when a spark ignited gasoline fumes in the pit. A witness described a plume of fire shooting up out of the pit. The clothing of the employee in the pit at the time of the incident caught fire when the gasoline burst into flames. The employee’s clothing and the flames in the pit were extinguished with a dry chemical fire extinguisher prior to the arrival of Emergency Responders. The Vermont State Police Fire Marshal’s Office was called and responded to the scene.

The burn victim was transported to Northwest Medical Center by Am Care.