HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - A fire that tore through an oil tanker and several vehicles in a Havervill industrial yard on Tuesday has been deemed accidental.
Crews responding to a report of a three-alarm blaze on Hale Street shortly before 12 p.m. found multiple fires burning and a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air.
Video from SKY7 HD showed a number of firefighters dousing the flaming vehicles with water and foam. It took crews several hours to bring the raging fires under control and train service was temporarily suspended in the area.
On Wednesday, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Haverhill Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien said the fire was caused by the ignition of vapor from oil that had overflowed while filling a Broco Oil tanker.
Investigators say the person filling the tanker was unable to turn off the flow of oil and the accelerant flowed between the truck’s cab and the tank before reaching the hot surface of the exhaust and regeneration system.
Damage caused by the fires was estimated to be around $500,000.
There were no reported injuries during the fires.
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