Workers Still Investigating Exxon Explosion

Following a construction accident that caused an empty gas tank at the closed Ernie's Exxon station on Livingston Avenue to explode on November 23, engineers from Kleinfelder, a California-based firm, are still on-site performing investigatory work.

"We're recreating the incident so we can learn from it," said Terry Reynolds, vice president of corporate marketing and communications in a telephone interview. Kleinfelder, which had been contracting for Exxon even before the explosion, has several workers now in Livingston.

During last week's blast, five workers were injured.  Initial reports cited only one worker, but Reynolds confirmed that five of Kleinfelder's workers — some sub-contractors — were checked at St. Barnabas Hospital.  None sustained serious injuries, just cuts and bruises, he said.

Reiterating what the Fire Department indicated, Reynold's thinks a spark from a saw may have ignited the explosion.

"There was hot work being done on-site," Reynolds said.  "At this point, we think the spark from the saw caused it.  But that's why we're doing this, to see exactly what happened."