10K-Gallon Oil Tank Explodes, Kills Man

A 10,000-gallon fuel oil tank exploded at a Pennsylvania industrial park yesterday and went flying across a road, killing a worker who was welding nearby. The explosion happened last night at Brownies Oil Co. in the Reynolds Industrial Park in Mercer County, in western Pennsylvania. The tank spilled 7,500 gallons of fuel and flooded a dike encircling the area, but the spill was contained, firefighters said. Nearby propane tanks weren't involved in the blast, and damage to the oil company appeared to be minimal.

The man who died worked for the oil company and had been welding near the tank when it exploded. He died from blunt-force trauma to his head; no one else was injured or killed. Department of Environmental Protection officials responded to the scene. Investigators questioned oil company officials there late yesterday. (More explosion stories.)