UPDATED: Operator injured in fuel truck fire in Hurricane

HURRICANE — A fire emanating from a fuel truck on the property of a Hurricane roofing company sent a column of smoke into the skies above the valley Wednesday afternoon and injured the driver of the truck.

A fuel truck burns from a fire at Skyline Roofing in Hurricane, Utah, on July 8, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

According to a statement by the Hurricane Valley Fire Department, the fire on the property of Skyline Roofing at 1500 West in Hurricane started around 3:30 p.m. from a Sevier Valley Oil fuel delivery truck on the site that exploded. 

The truck’s operator was just starting the process of offloading approximately 2,000 pounds of fuel when the explosion occurred, authorities said.

The truck operator suffered burns while trying to escape the explosion and had to be transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center.

The Hurricane Valley Fire Department had at least two engines on site, dousing the tank with water to keep the flames limited to just the fuel tank on the truck and away from storage containers, heavy equipment and threatening several additional fuel storage tanks, additional heavy equipment, a large outbuilding and a large hay storage pole barn.

Smoke billows up from a fire at Skyline Roofing in Hurricane, Utah, on July 8, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Hurricane Valley Deputy Chief Kevin Gildea said the cause of the fire is still being determined.

It was called in as an explosion,” Gildea said. “They’re trying to keep the tanks cool.”

At about 5:28 p.m., there was a small explosion heard when a tank was breached, sending more smoke into the sky.

While the fire continued for a few more hours, it was out by 9 p.m as fire crews spent more than six hours extinguishing the blaze.

Updated July 9, 11 a.m. Additional details added.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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