An employee of an Addison business was injured when a tank exploded as he tried to change a valve, authorities said Monday.
The Addison Fire Department received several 911 calls around 10:30 a.m. about an explosion and fire in an industrial strip mall complex at 910 S. Westwood Ave., said Fire Department Capt. Norm Sturm.
A male employee at the business, Brand X-Ray, apparently was trying to replace a valve on a hydrogen tank when the tank ignited, causing a “flashover,” or quick burst of fire, which injured the employee, Sturm said.
Other employees in the business, which makes tubing and blows glass, tried to put out the fire with extinguishers but couldn’t, he said.
The Addison department and five others from nearby towns responded, evacuating the rest of the adjacent businesses. The fire was struck out within an hour, he said.
The injured employee, whose name is not being released, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
His condition was unavailable.
