Incident Report

Subject:                   Fire-fighters battle blaze at oil distributor in Mineola

Date of Email report:   Tue 13/03/2012

Report Detail:

Mineola Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 7:45 p.m. Sunday to battle a fire at a petroleum product distributorship in downtown Mineola.  Pearce Oil, formerly known as Williams Exxon, was reported on fire and Mineola Volunteer Fire-fighters, assisted by Hainesville and Lindale, fought the fire as a huge black cloud of smoke billowed into the air. Several gasoline tanks and a diesel tank were stored behind the small building destroyed by the fire.  By 8:41 p.m., fuel had been shut off at the distributor.  At about 9 p.m., fire-fighters had the fire out and were working to clean up the scene. No injuries were reported, but emergency medical responders were asked to check the condition of one person. 

A hazardous material team was contacted to address fuel that was running on the ground and street.  Train traffic was stopped and allowed to resume at about 9:45 p.m. on the rails that are just across Front street from the building.  A crowd of people gathered downtown, some standing a block or two away and others gathering across the railroad tracks at the downtown gazebo and Veterans Memorial.  Some of the people drawn to town saw the smoke from miles away. Kenneth and Misty Tanzy said they live near Hainesville and they could see the smoke in the sky as they left their home. “As we got closer to town we started smelling all kinds of bad stuff,” Kenneth Tanzy said.

Additional Documentation: