KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Lightning from a line of strong thunderstorms was blamed for a spectacular fire at a petroleum plant in downtown Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday night.
Lightning from one of the cells was blamed for a massive fire at a Magellan Pipeline terminal that sent flames and dark smoke billowing into the sky.Capt. Stan Castaneda of the KCK Fire Department said the fire started when lightning struck a large storage tank at the facility near downtown.The tank contained 58,000 barrels of unleaded gasoline and fire crews were on the ground trying to prevent the blaze from reaching a nearby tank containing 15,000 barrels of gas, according to KCK Fire Chief Thomas DeKeyser. He said the department plans to let the fire burn itself out.Two employees were working at the site at the time, and no one was injured, said John Jacobs, an area supervisor for the company.The tank was in an industrial area. Workers at the nearby General Motors Fairfax factory and other area businesses were told to stay inside the facility.Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were at the scene.Magellan, located at 401 East Donovan Road, has more than 8,500 miles of pipeline for petroleum through the Midwest.The terminal handles jet fuel, ethanol, diesel and other fuel oils.The series of strong cells passed through the Kansas City area around 7 p.m., producing strong winds, heavy rain and hail.Tornado sirens went off in Lee's Summit, Mo., and up to nickel-sized hail fell in downtown Kansas City, Mo.Another line of storms moved through central Kansas, producing golf-ball sized hail near Franklin, according to the National Weather Service.
Copyright 2008 by KCTV5.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved
