HOLTSVILLE
Police: Blast rocks oil facility, January 26, 2005

A fire exploded in an oil tank in Holtsville Tuesday morning after a maintenance worker used a hand-held torch to thaw a valve on the tank, Suffolk police said. No one was injured. More than a dozen agencies responded to the blaze, which occurred about 9:30 a.m. at 586 Union Ave. in an oil tank owned by Northville Industries Corp. Arson Squad Det. Sgt. said the torch ignited vapors, causing the top of the tank to blow off. The fire sent a dark plume of smoke billowing high above the area.

The tank has a capacity of 15,000 barrels, but was holding only 2,000 barrels at the time of the blast, a company spokeswoman said. The worker, who police said has been with the company for 26 years, activated the tank's foam suppression system and the fire was extinguished, the Arson Squad Det. Sgt. said. No charges will be filed, he said.

HOLTSVILLE
(CBS) A chemical plant exploded on Long Island Tuesday morning.

It happened around 9:35 a.m. in Holtsville at the Tosco Oil Company. The tank is two stories high, and is surrounded by other oil tanks. Fire officials tell CBS 2 that the fire has been contained, and since the tank is almost empty, they will likely just let it burn out.

Police say the giant oil tank could hold 609,000 gallons of fuel oil. But at the time of the blast around 9:30 a.m., just 90,000 gallons was contained.

The cause of the blast was not known immediately. An oil fire was contained to the area around the tank. "We want to make sure everything is safe and we are going to investigate this incident thoroughly," said the Suffolk County police commissioner. Suffolk Police Officer also said there were no evacuations. He says the tank is on a large property and no surrounding businesses were threatened.

The explosion occurred just south of exit 62 on the Long Island Expressway near Nichols Road. Thick smoke can be seen for miles, but Suffolk Police say no one has been hurt.