Published: December 03, 2008 09:52 pm      

Worker burned in flash fire at Sheetz store

NANTY GLO — A flash fire at a Sheetz convenience store in Nanty Glo burned a man Wednesday, sending him to a Pittsburgh hospital, Sheetz officials said.

A crew from ECS&R – an environmental services company from Cochranton – was cleaning an underground tank when fumes from the tank ignited, Sheetz spokeswoman Monica Jones said.

An ECS&R worker standing over the tank was burned and taken to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh with second-degree burns, Jones said.

His name was not released.

Static electricity is believed to have ignited the fumes at the store located at 115 Pace St., Jackson Township fire Chief Tim Hofecker said.

Workers were cleaning one of two 15,000-gallon gasoline tanks when the fire started at 2:05 p.m.

Both tanks were empty, Hofecker said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the store reopened after 11/2 hours, authorities said. No Sheetz employees or customers were believed injured.

The investigation is continuing. Firefighters from Jackson and East Taylor townships responded along with firefighters from Nanty Glo.