An old fuel tank exploded Thursday morning at Atmore Recycling LLC, according to the Atmore Fire Department.
Chief Ronald Peebles said an employee was cutting on an old fuel tank, and the tank had some residual fumes inside. The AFD was called at 8:18 a.m. and arrived on scene at 8:24. They department cleared the scene at 8:48 a.m.
Peebles said a cutting torch was being used when the explosion occurred. Peebles said one was taken to the hospital, and the patient had already left when he got there.
Peebles said the tank itself was hot, and there wasn’t a fire as the wind blew it out.
“They put water on it to cool the tank off,” he said. Peebles said a nearby business received minor damage from the explosion as some ceiling parts were knocked out. According to witness reports, the explosion was felt quite a distance away from the source.