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Pennsylvania Fuel Project Turns Into HazMat Incident
LAURA FRENCH
WNEP
Reprinted with Permission
LUZERNE Cnty. - Homes were evacuated, hazardous material crews were sent in, and in the end investigators said a Luzerne County man was just trying to save a buck. He apparently had the chemicals and the equipment to make his own gasoline.
What started as a carbon monoxide investigation at a home in a gated community Butler Township, ended with a procession of emergency personnel, but not before a little excitement and some surprises.
"We were surprised by it, actually. We didn't expect to run into any materials like that," said Capt. Kevin Tarapchak of Valley Regional Fire and Rescue. "They had found a 55 gallon drum of unknown substance, went in and checked it out, and found out it was methanol along with some corrosive materials."
The methanol was used by the homeowner who called them out in the first place, according to emergency officials. He was apparently using it to make biodiesel fuel.
Crews evacuated 15 houses for about two hours.
The homeowner will likely face fines.
"In this situation, we are going in to find out what the code violations were and subsequently we will probably issue a violation to the individual himself," said Butler Township code enforcement officer Larry Sims. Authorities said the homeowner, who is a chemical and electrical engineer, had just invested in an $8,000 piece of equipment to start producing the biofuel.
They said he owns a tractor and a truck and he just wanted to cut down on his costs.
Copyright © 2010, WNEP-TV
WNEP
Reprinted with Permission
LUZERNE Cnty. - Homes were evacuated, hazardous material crews were sent in, and in the end investigators said a Luzerne County man was just trying to save a buck. He apparently had the chemicals and the equipment to make his own gasoline.
"We were surprised by it, actually. We didn't expect to run into any materials like that," said Capt. Kevin Tarapchak of Valley Regional Fire and Rescue. "They had found a 55 gallon drum of unknown substance, went in and checked it out, and found out it was methanol along with some corrosive materials."
The methanol was used by the homeowner who called them out in the first place, according to emergency officials. He was apparently using it to make biodiesel fuel.
Crews evacuated 15 houses for about two hours.
The homeowner will likely face fines.
"In this situation, we are going in to find out what the code violations were and subsequently we will probably issue a violation to the individual himself," said Butler Township code enforcement officer Larry Sims. Authorities said the homeowner, who is a chemical and electrical engineer, had just invested in an $8,000 piece of equipment to start producing the biofuel.
They said he owns a tractor and a truck and he just wanted to cut down on his costs.
Copyright © 2010, WNEP-TV
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Chris Watson on
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Just goes to show you that you can never know how a call will end up....sometimes those "smells and bells" can turn out to be something. never be complacent.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Curious how they refer to him as 'making gasoline' but then go on to describe that he was actually attempting to make bio diesel, a totally different animal. I guess 'gasoline' just sounds so much more dangerous.
Between the $8000 for equipment and possible fines, I wonder how long it will take for this investment to pay for itself.
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Permalink Reply by Jon Droska on
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I noticed that as well. I love how the media tries to make everything sound scary and dangerous, not that a 55 gallon drum of methanol isn't dangerous enough. I've seen shows on TV on how to make your own diesel, and you can by the kits online.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Meyer on
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Making bio-diesel is nothing new. Looks like he didn't check with codes though, and that could bite him in the butt.
As for spending $8000, if he has a tractor trailer that he puts some miles on, he could save enough to make that a smart investment in short order. People can often get used cooking oil from restaurants for free, so there's just the matter of fuel taxes that usually need to be paid. I don't think it's more than a $1.00 a gallon though.
My ex and I had plans to make and use bio-diesel not only for her TDI, but also for the oil heater in the house. If you don't mind your exhaust smelling mildly of french fries or chicken nuggets, it's a great idea.
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