PETROLIA, Pa. — Nobody was injured when a storage tank at a Butler County petroleum processing plant caught fire early Friday morning.
The fire at the Sonneborn Corp. plant in Petrolia was reported about 3 a.m. Friday.
The company makes waxes and other products including petrolatum, which is used in baby oil and petroleum jellies.
Anita Orozco, the company's director of human resources, told Channel 11's Dave Bondy (@WPXI_DaveBondy) that crews were still trying to determine what tank burned and why.
“I live in the local area, and I kind of jumped out of bed and looked out the window. I could see the fire,” Orozco said.
She said the tank was burning from the top, which suggests it was filled with a chemical used in the production of baby oil and petroleum jelly.
A fire alarm summoned company and local volunteer firefighters, who quickly controlled the fire.
“They train on a monthly basis and then once or twice a year they get together and do full training at each of the three chemical plants,” Orozco said. “I’m very happy with the response. The training that they do has definitely helped.”
Bondy quickly went to the scene as soon as we learned about the fire. Be sure to follow him on Twitter to stay updated on breaking news stories.
https://twitter.com/WPXI_DaveBondy/status/429178057853640704
WPXI
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