Cause of Cornelius ethanol facility blaze determined to be static
CORNELIUS, Ore. (AP) — Officials say a large fire Tuesday at an ethanol facility in Cornelius, west of Portland, was likely caused by static while employees were transferring fuel between metal drums.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports fire crews responded to the blaze about 1:30 p.m. after reports of a fuel tank on fire. The flames erupted at the Summit Foods Inc. complex, which also houses subsidiary Thunderbolt Racing Fuel, where the fire started.
Officials say employees were transferring gasoline from one metal drum to another using an air compressor. At some point, one employee began feeling “intense heat” coming from one of the drums and saw flames coming from a port on the side of the container.
No one was hurt.
