Firefighters from Bradenville and Derry quickly doused a tank of home heating oil that caught fire during demolition of a mobile home Monday evening on West Third Street at Hickory Avenue in Derry Township.
Fire units were called to the scene after 8:15 p.m. and knocked the flames down within 10 minutes of their arrival, Bradenville Fire Chief Mark Piantine said.
He couldn’t say how much oil was in the 275-gallon tank and how much burned in the fire. Firefighters were able to keep flames from spreading to an adjacent similarly-sized tank that was about half full with oil, he said.
The fuel in the tank was sparked when workers used a grinder with an abrasive wheel in an attempt to cut through the container, Piantine said. There was no danger to adjacent structures, he said.
Debris fires also were found burning at the site, in violation of the township’s outdoor burning ordinance, Piantine said. He said the matter has been referred to the township ordinance enforcement officer.
The township allows controlled burning of permitted materials between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, except on holidays.
