Storage Tank Fire Put Out at S.C. Asphalt Plant

Crews from municipalities worked into Monday morning to put out a blaze in a storage tank containing 2.1 million gal of flammable liquid at the Southeast Emulsions asphalt plant in Union, SC that ignited Sunday afternoon, according to coverage by local news organizations. 

The tank reportedly overflowed as workers were filling it with liquid asphalt on Sunday morning. Later that day, a fire ignited in a 6” space for insulation between the storage tank’s outer shell and the inner tank, Bonham Fire Department Chief Scott Austin told FOX Carolina. 

Firefighters were called to the site at about 2:15 p.m. Those living within one mile of the plant were ordered to evacuate their homes during the response as a precaution, television news station WSPA reported. The order was rescinded at 4 a.m. on Monday. 

No injuries were logged during the incident. 

Owned by the Colas Group, Southeast Emulsions is a provider of pavement preservation products, including commodity asphalt emulsions, and related services, information on the company website said. The company’s Union facility serves South Carolina and North Carolina. 

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