BRUNSWICK — A waste oil bin exploded Friday at a Cook’s Corner garage, leaving a nearby employee shaken, coated in oil but unhurt.
The blast occurred at 11:45 a.m. at Lee’s Tires, 35 Gurnet Road. The employee, whose name was not released, was working in the area of the oil bin at the time of the blast, according to Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brillant.
The worker subsequently was put through a decontamination process and, other than being badly scared by the blast, was not hurt, the chief added.
What caused the explosion — which produced lots of smoke but no flame — has yet to
be determined.
About 20 minutes after the incident, oil still dripped down the walls in the back corner of the building where the waste bin stood cocked at an angle, and dusted with oil-absorbent material.
Smoke was vented from the building, and the concrete garage floor covered with oil-absorbent material several inches deep.
Officials from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection were notified and were enroute. Likewise, environmental cleanup company Clean Harbors, which pumps out the tire shop’s waste oil bin every month, had been called.
An investigation into the cause is ongoing, and fire officials remained on the scene a few hours after the incident Friday afternoon.

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