UPDATED: Explosion sparks fire at oil company

A fiery blast Tuesday at Necessary Oil Co. reminded employees of the nearby Food City and other neighbors of a fire that occurred there more than a decade ago, killing one man and heavily damaging the property.

But no one was seriously injured in the latest blaze and employees at the company on Georgia Avenue followed the proper procedure assisting firefighters in containing the fire, said owner Mark Byington.

“It was just an accident that happened,” he said. “We’ll wait to find out why it happened and look at it and hope to get back up and running by Monday.”

The fire started at the oil refinery plant just before 12:30 p.m., said Jack Spurgeon, assistant chief for the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department. About 26 firefighters from both Bristol fire departments had the blaze contained in about 35 minutes, he said.

A preliminary investigation suggests the fire started in the area of the plant where the vapors that are pulled off the oil during the refining process are stored, he said. Firefighters were on scene until about 4:30 p.m., investigating the cause, said Capt. Harry Miller. He said Tuesday night that the final report is expected to be filed today.

Byington said there was between $2,000 and $3,500 worth of damage to electrical equipment in the plant.

People who saw the fire – several Food City employees picnicking outside, about 75 yards from the plant – said they watched the paint on the exterior wall melt during the fire.

“We were sitting here having a cookout … all of a sudden there was this loud noise and you could feel the heat,” said Lavonda Pairgin, floral manager for the Food City on Virginia Avenue. “You could see the paint start to melt.”

She said all the picnickers jumped up and she ran inside to call 911.

Her call was one of many reports of the fire, Spurgeon said.

Fellow Food City employee Molly Austin, a front-end supervisor, said she saw a big piece of metal fly in the explosion.

“It was like a bomb went off,” she said. “It shook the whole store. The associates in the front said it shook them.”

Pairgin said she was working the last time Necessary Oil had a fire.

“It’s scary to have that type of company in the neighborhood,” she said, adding that also lives in the neighborhood around the refinery and is worried about what would happen if a larger explosion occurred..

John Turner also lives in the neighborhood – on Lakeview Street -- and although he is one row of houses removed from the plant, he had a good view of the fire Tuesday afternoon.

“I was sitting here on the porch when it blew,” he said. “There were flames shooting straight up. I was hoping the whole place didn’t blow up. I don’t know why they haven’t made them move that place out in the country.”

That move into the country is under way, Byington said. When Necessary Oil was founded there in 1958, city codes were different and the business wasn’t in a designated residential area, he said. The company is in the process of moving to its property in an industrial park in Bristol, Tenn., and should be there next spring, according to Byington.

“Some of the neighbors I talk to, and we have a good standing relationship,” he said. “And some I know do have problems [with the company being here] and I can understand. And that’s one reason we’re taking steps to move to the other facility.”

Currently, eight people work in the yard at the plant, which refines used motor and hydraulic oil, Byington said. Some of the recycled oil is used to make base stock for companies like Valvoline, which uses 50 percent recycled oil in some of its products, he added.

arobinson@bristolnews.com
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