Explosion at Exxon Station

A construction accident caused an empty gas tank at the closed Ernie's Exxon on Livingston Avenue to explode this morning, shaking nearby homes and closing down streets. The exit ramps at exit 5 off Route 280 were also closed to traffic while fire and police officials worked on the scene. 

Fire Chief Christopher Mullin said a construction worker using a saw to repair the pipe that protects the gas pump caused the explosion at around 10:33 this morning.  

"He was working to remove the ballard (the pipe that protects tank) and a spark flew in the direction of where the fuel tank was," said Mullin.  The 2,000 gallon tank was empty, he said, but remaining vapors ignited and caused the loud underground explosion. "It blew the top corner of the tank off." 

Reports are that debris was thrown hundreds of yards into the air by the explosion; some reports indicate that the worker was also thrown, however it hasn't been confirmed with the worker, who was immediately taken to St. Barnabas Medical Center when emergency workers arrived.  He didn't seem to have any external cuts or scratches, according to Mullin, but was going to be checked for trauma and possible internal injuries.

Ernie's Exxon station has been closed for construction for at least the last six months, Mullin said, adding that he did not know if or when the site was planning to reopen.  This morning's explosion further deepened an existing in-ground hole at the station.

Neighbors in the area reported a loud explosion which caused homes in the area around to shake.  Students at nearby Harrison School also heard and felt the alarming boom.

At Center Cleaners, a dry cleaning shop next to the station, owner Yong Kim felt the explosion, which was strong enough to blow out the entire large window in the front of his shop.

"I had two workers with me this morning, one normally sits at the sewing machine near the window," he said. "But she was very lucky that she was standing up at that moment, by the counter on the phone."

Kim said none of his workers were injured, although the boom caused the entire building to vibrate. The glass in the window pane was being replaced this afternoon.

A smaller, front window at the adjacent Livingston Mart, a convenience store, was also shattered.

Livingston firefighters were on the scene within moments of the explosion and firefighters from East Hanover and Roseland responded voluntarily. A mutual aid call to neighboring towns was not signaled, Mullin said.  At least a dozen town firefighters, if not more, were on the scene.

Nutley Hazmat, the area's team, was also called to the scene to rid the area of potential toxic chemicals and flushed out the site with water.

By noon the scene was under control, Mullin said.  By 2 o'clock this afternoon, workers had left the site and Livingston Avenue opened for traffic.

Workers from Kleinfelder, an engineering company based in Sacramento, California, were investigating the scene for Exxon later in the afternoon.

*Article has been updated with current information.