Multi-Agency Response and Community Evacuation
In Vienna Township, multiple fire departments responded to a fire at the White Oil Company. According to Assistant Chief Kerry Paulson, firefighters left unmanned form monitors on the fire, and evacuated the area for the safety of the firefighters on scene. As many as 15 explosions are being reported from the fire.
According to the AP, exploding fuel barrels, many 50-gallon drums filled with oil, had flown about 50 feet into the air. One ignited an adjacent building. Crews are expected to gain access to the area today to attempt to extinguish the fire.
The Fire has caused evacuations of Vienna Township of about 1,000 people and some other close by areas. Local fire departments are working with the various agencies to assist in the containment of the run off and extinguish the fire.
This Video shows the fire from a distance and the local police department evacuating the area
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Here is an update from the wire
Evacuation ends after Michigan fuel facility fire
By DAVID EGGERT (AP) – 24 minutes ago
VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A fire at a Michigan fuel storage facility that caused several oil barrels to explode and prompted area evacuations may have started near an electric meter, authorities said Wednesday.
Clio Assistant Fire Chief Kerry Paulson says the mandatory evacuation order, which displaced roughly 1,000 residents, was lifted Wednesday afternoon within a two-mile radius around the White Oil Co. facility about 65 miles north of Detroit. He said a crew of six to eight firefighters and a truck shooting flame-retardant foam overnight battled the blaze that had engulfed two buildings.
Paulson said the fire was mostly out Wednesday.
Tuesday afternoon, an employee reported a small fire at an electrical meter outside one of the buildings, Paulson said. That person was among a handful of people at the plant when the fire broke out and shot heavy plumes of black smoke into the air.
Fifty-gallon oil drums and industrial solvents were inside the buildings at the time and some of them exploded, shooting the barrels 50 feet in the air, authorities said. One of the flaming barrels ignited an adjacent building and officials planned to raze both buildings Wednesday.
Paulson said at least 25 fire departments and more than 100 firefighters battled the blaze. Two of those firefighters received minor injuries and the fire remains under investigation.
The Environmental Protection Agency says there are currently no health risks associated with the fire. However, the EPA advised those in the area to keep their windows closed.
Associated Press Writer David Aguilar in Detroit contributed to this report.