Firefighters Fight Blaze at Bio Diesel Refinery on Old Stewartstown Road

>Thursday, October 2, 2014 

Fire crews responded to a fire at a bio diesel refinery Wednesday in Monongalia County.

According to Mecca 911 dispatchers, it happened around 8:30 p.m. on Old Stewartstown Road.  The fire closed down the road for a little more than three hours as crews battled the blaze.  

The owner was processing a batch of bio diesel when the fire ignited.  The owner said he saw a fire ball, ran out and began turning off propane tanks.  There was approximately 800 to 900 gallons of cooking oils and bio diesel in the fire, said the Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department.  Firefighters were able to control the fire from approaching an adjacent building which contained approximately 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of unprocessed oil.

The refinery generates approximately 300 gallons of bio diesel every 12 hours, said the Cheat Lake VFD.  The DEP was notified about the fire.

The Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department is investigating.