An oil tanker burned after it exploded in Ojai Friday morning, authorities said.
Firefighters heard the blast when the tank exploded around 8:36 a.m. on the 12700 block of Ojai Santa Paula Road, according to Captain Mike Lindbery from the Ventura County Fire Department. He worried the burning tank threatened brush nearby.
Two people nearby received minor injuries from the explosion, but were treated and evaluated at the scene, Lindberry added.
Firefighters were originally planning to let the blaze burn itself out, Lindberry said.
#TopaIncident #PetroleumFire Heat reaching water at the bottom of the tank causes a "boil over" flaring up the fuel. pic.twitter.com/CXZWMeD0l1
— Capt Mike Lindbery (@VCFD_PIO) August 5, 2016
As the oil burned, however, a pocket of water at the bottom of the tank boiled and caused a flare-up, Lindberry said. When that flare-up occurred, it extinguished the fire in the tank, but also caught some brush nearby on fire with crude oil.
After burning brush was extinguished with a crash truck, a hand crew was sent in to ensure no hot spots or flames were left, according to Lindberry. All crews have since departed the scene.
Tank is still burning in upper ojai but has not spread to brush. pic.twitter.com/Cbx1X3MKgN
— Ojai Valley News (@OVN) August 5, 2016
