By FireRescue1 Staff
MIDLAND, Texas — A Texas fire engine responding to an industrial explosion was destroyed after burning oil rolled underneath it.
Midland Texas Fire Department Chief Charles Blumenauer said in a press conference that firefighters responded to an explosion that occurred when a hot oiler truck and fracking truck were offloading and treating product.
As firefighters attempted to move the hot oiler, a hose detached from the vehicle and a “liquid fire” spilled underneath the department’s Engine 3, setting it ablaze, according to Blumenauer.
The crew inside the rig managed to evacuate without sustaining any injuries.
“They’re trained to be safety-minded first for themselves at that point, so they backed away,” the chief said. “Our normal training from rookie school on is to always – if there’s nothing to risk, we’re not going to risk anything. At that point in time, the vehicle was already on fire, there was nothing to save, so the best thing to do at that point in time was to protect themselves.”
The fire truck will need to be replaced, the department said on Facebook.
“It’s a scary deal for the guys. They’re feeling a little like they’ve let me down and they haven’t,” Blumenauer added. “It’s a situation that – they’re all unique and different, and this is a unique one, no one ever would have expected that hose to break and send fluid across the ground.”
One person was injured in the initial explosion and taken to the hospital. Several nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution due to the “dynamic” nature of the liquid fire, the chief said.
Blumenauer praised the responding crew for quickly controlling the blaze. He said the department frequently responds to industrial incidents due to Midland being on an oil and gas field.
“I’ve been on 10 to 15 hot oil trucks that have caught on fire in my career,” Blumenauer said.
https://www.facebook.com/MidlandTxFD/videos/660151507724149/