HAZELWOOD, Mo. — A tank exploded while workers were trying to move tar at a Hazelwood asphalt business Thursday morning.
All Hazelwood Fire Department units were requested to respond just before 11 a.m. to Spirit Asphalt, which is located in the 100 block of James S. McDonnell Boulevard. A tank had exploded and caught on fire, the department said.
Photos from the scene show a 25-foot-tall tank that appears to be collapsed. Dark and heavy smoke was pouring out of the structure. A Hazelwood ladder truck was seen working from above to put out the fire inside the tank.
The smoke was visible from about eight miles away in Maryland Heights.
Hazelwood Fire Deputy Chief Daniel Luley said an investigation found employees were offloading tar product for roofing materials from the tanker into a railcar. During the process, a spark ignited the product inside the tank and a fire quickly spread.
"As the product inside the tank continued to burn, it blew the top off of the tank," Luley said.
Workers were able to disconnect the railcar from the tank and move it away to a safe distance.
"The risk really is the exposures, the tanks that surround them and if those tanks would get hot enough to catch on fire or explode, it certainly would've been a much more devastating circumstance than what it is now," Chief Dave Herman said.
No injuries have been reported and the fire was extinguished after about 90 minutes.
St. Louis County Hazmat team and the Department of Natural Resources assisted with cleanup and safety.
"We have DNR in process to come out here and make sure that the site was cleaned up afterwards. There was no runoff into any tributaries or waterways around here," Luley said.
They used thermal imaging cameras and kept waterlines on the surrounding tanks to keep them cool.
Tank explodes in Hazelwood
Besides putting out the fire, a high priority for crews at the scene was making sure the surrounding tanks and structures stayed cool.
Two tanks behind the one that exploded have a mixture of a solvent and tar. The mixture is highly explosive. Luley said crews kept waterlines running on the tanks to keep their temperatures down.
Several neighboring fire departments assisted, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Hazmat crews also responded to the scene.
At this time, they don't believe there's a threat to the public for hazardous chemicals released into the air. There is no sign of any runoff into tributaries or waterways, Luley said.
First responders blocked off James S. McDonnell Boulevard between Fee Fee Road and Eva Road while crews worked to contain the situation. Drivers were urged to avoid the area.
5 On Your Side has a crew at the scene. This story will continue to be updated as more information is confirmed.