MORGAN TOWNSHIP - - An empty gas tank being removed at a Big Sky Energy well site on Route 45 exploded around noontime Wednesday seriously injuring a company worker. The gas well site is located just north of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Morgan Hose Volunteer Fire Department Chief Vern Goodge said the worker, Owen Parabeck, 20, of Farmdale in Trumbull County was on top of the tank apparently removing plumbing when it blew up. Parabeck was thrown some 75 to 100 feet away from the tank into a wooded section.
He is listed in guarded condition at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown after being flown from UH Geneva Medical Center. South Central Ambulance District emergency squad transported the injured man to the Geneva facility.
"We had mutual aid from Rome, Austinburg and Trumbull fire departments to help at the fire. I heard a boom shortly before noon and thought it was from the new school site. I came outdoors and looked north and saw the fire," Goodge said adding his pager went off about the same time.
A second worker, Jeff Homkes was with Parabeck when the tank blew up and caught fire, Goodge said. Homkes was slightly injured as he moved a pickup truck from the flaming gas tank.
"Parabeck was removing plumbing from the top of the tank from what we are told. An empty gas tank like that one is more dangerous than a full one. It was part of a separator unit. The two men were replacing the empty tank with another one," Goodge said.
"There are gas fumes in an empty tank and a spark may have caused the explosion. We have to do more investigation to determine what actually happened," Goodge said.
A blackened crumpled heap of metal of was all that was left of the exploded tank. The pickup truck was also damaged from flames, fire officials said.
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Gas tank explodes
Worker injured in explosion in Morgan
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