Throw Back Thursday – Tank Fire at Steuart Petroleum
By Vice President Michael (Mike) Roberts
February 15, 2023
Almost 51 years ago, May, 1972, this event occurred at the Steuart Petroleum storage facility in Piney Point. (Now Sunoco) I can’t remember the exact day, but I remember the event like it was yesterday. I was a nineteen-year-old Fire Lieutenant, and there were several of us at the station that evening when a severe thunderstorm came through. It turns out that a lightning strike was the cause of origin of the fire that occurred in Tank #12, which was a floating roof tank (can’t remember the capacity) containing AvGas. (Gasoline based aviation fuel) Fire companies from as far away as Indian Head and Potomac Heights in Charles County responded to the incident. Mrs. Catherine Barnes, the author of this article, which was submitted to The Enterprise newspaper, lived next door just outside the fence of the facility. Mrs. Barnes was very active in the community, and her husband George Barnes, I remember was also a community member of the Board of Directors of the SDVFD (the rescue squad did not exist yet in 1972) for several years. Enjoy the read!
Article courtesy of Debbie Miller, daughter of the late Past President/Past Chief/Life Member J. Gregory Adams.
