A full oil tank exploded this week at General Motors' test facility in Michigan. The area where the explosion happened is currently rented out.
An oil tank filled with oil exploded early Wednesday at General Motors' testing facility in Michigan, USA. The explosion caused a fire that quickly spread and damaged two nearby buildings.
The incident took place on an area that General Motors leases to third parties to store oil and road salt. The oil tank that exploded was not owned or operated by the car factory.
Fire crews from Brighton and 24 other fire stations flocked to the factory to battle the flames.
– We always use a lot of foam when we work with flammable gases or liquids, said fire chief Michael O'Brian to the Detroit Free Press .
– We have put out the main fire now. But there are still some small fires we work on because of natural gas. However, we have it mostly under control.
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Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, although one of the nearby buildings suffered "some damage", as the fire chief describes it.
It took firefighters almost an hour to get the fire under control. They had to call for assistance from fire stations throughout the area due to a lack of fire hydrants nearby.
General Motors spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Detroit Free Press that the automaker is happy no one was hurt.
– We are happy that no one was injured, and we will continue to follow the situation closely, he says.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown. Authorities will work with the owner of the oil tank to determine what caused the accident.