Explosion at GM Plant Flings Tank Onto Roof

A 4,000-gallon storage tank containing paint thinner exploded outside the General Motors assembly plant in Van Nuys Monday, hurling the top of the tank onto a roof at the plant but injuring no one, authorities said.

The 7:30 a.m. blast at 7500 N. Tyrone Ave. ignited a small fire that was quickly extinguished by GM plant firefighters, said Greg Acevedo, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The cause of the explosion was not known Monday but was believed to be accidental. Acevedo said the auto-painting building next to the tank had been closed for preparations before production of 1989 models starts.

The storage tank contained an unknown amount of thinner used in the auto-painting process, officials said. It was next to three other storage tanks and was part of a purge system that cleaned paint lines in the adjoining building with a variety of thinning solvents, including xylene and toluene.

GM spokesman Jim Gaunt said two plant employees were making a routine inspection of the painting equipment when they noticed smoke coming from one of the four tanks.

“They immediately notified management and security, but within a matter of seconds there was an explosion,� he said.

After the explosion and fire, a fire department hazardous-materials team investigated the area around the tanks and the adjoining building and found no danger from toxic fumes or chemicals. Officials said any vapors released during the explosion were probably dissipated in the air and were not harmful. There were no evacuations of the area after the blast.

The explosion is being investigated by city and county health authorities and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Acevedo said. Officials said an estimate of damages has not yet been made.