The removal of the inground tanks at a former gas station on Albany Avenue last week led to a small fire, Waycross Fire Chief David Eddins said.
The facility, located on the corner of Church Street and Albany, had been closed for a number of years. It is across from the Ware County Courthouse.
Eddins said workmen were cutting rebar around the tanks when residue in one of the containers flashed and caused a small fire late Tuesday morning, October 29.
“There wasn’t an explosion,” Eddins said.
He said when firefighters arrived there was no fire present, just some smoke around the tanks from attached pipes.
“We just mitigated the circumstances,” Eddins said. “We put some foam in the pipes.”
The chief said there was no damage to the building, but a workman at the site said a co-worker was taken by Ware EMS to Memorial Satilla Health for treatment of a minor burn.
He said the state fire marshal’s office was investigating the incident. As of Monday, no report was available.
The name of the company handling the work was not available. Community Improvement Director Marc Hawkins said permits for that kind of work are acquired through the state rather than the city.
