AUMSVILLE, OR (KPTV) -
An explosion and fire at an Aumsville factory caused $250,000 in damages.
Investigators said a leak in the rubber-domed roof of a methane generator gave out and led to the blast.
It happened at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at Revolution Energy Solutions on Mill Creek Road Southeast.
The plant converts manure from a neighboring dairy farm to bio-gas and uses the methane to create electricity.
The tank with the leak was directly upwind from a generator's burner, which is used to burn off spare methane.
Firefighters said wind blew leaking methane into the burner, which ignited the leaking tank. That tank is not pressurized, but it's just 15 feet away from one that was.
Heat from the fire burned the roof of the pressurized tank, causing it to ignite and creating a fireball.
Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
Firefighters pumped water from Mill Creek, which is only a few feet away, to put out the fire.
The company said the tank remained intact and they plan to rebuild the roof structure in the future.
A spokesman also said the rest of the plant's emergency measures operated exactly as they should, including a shut-off valve that prevented the fire from traveling down the supply line.
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