St. Augustine BP Gas Station Explosion, Fire Injures Fuel Trucker
St. Augustine, FL — A fuel truck driver was seriously injured in a gas station explosion Friday afternoon, August 19, 2011. The trucker was delivering fuel when the explosion ignited at the BP station on state Road 16 at Masters Drive just before 5 p.m., reported News4Jax.com.
According to police, the blast and subsequent fire was so intense that residents as far as 5 miles away could hear the explosion, which burned for three hours and gutted the gas station and surrounding buildings. Black smoke could even be seen from Clay County, 25 miles west of the gas station.
David Hunt Cowles, 61, of Fort McCoy, Fla. was reportedly delivering gas to the station when the blast occurred. Several people dragged Cowles away from the fire, before he was airlifted to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in serious condition. He was later transferred to the burn unit at Shands in Gainesville, where he was reportedly in good condition as of Saturday afternoon.
The fire was contained, but not before heavily damaging—or even destroying—the gas station and several nearby buildings.
A full investigation into the explosion is underway by local, state and federal agencies.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for Florida work-related accident lawyers.
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