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Roads reopened after explosion at asphalt plant injures 1
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More from Other NewsOne person was injured and main thoroughfares at the edge of Oxnard were shut down for more than 90 minutes this morning as a result of an explosion at an asphalt processing plant, authorities said.
The explosion occurred at Tenby Inc. near the intersection of Del Norte Boulevard and Sturgis Road about 7:14 a.m. when some water got into a hot asphalt hopper and turned into steam, causing the tank’s top to blow off, said Dick Nali, a facility manager at the plant.
The explosion caused a small amount of oil in the tank to catch fire.
Firefighters from the Ventura County and Oxnard fire departments responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire.
A plant employee suffered smoke inhalation injuries and was transferred to a local hospital for treatment, said Capt. Barry Parker of the Ventura County Fire Department.
Fifth street was closed between Pleasant Valley Road and Del Norte Boulevard until about 9 a.m. as a result of the explosion.
The train tracks that run by the plant were also closed for about an hour, interrupting the morning commute for train travelers, Parker said.
Fire department investigators were still working this morning to determine what caused water to get into the asphalt hopper. Parker said condensation is a suspected cause.
Posted by GWAR on December 20, 2007 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whoa, boilover. Hydrocarbon fires really suck.
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