Explosions at fueling station in Romania kills at least 1, injures dozens

A fire at a fueling station in Romania caused an explosion that killed at least one person and injured at least eight others Saturday, prompting an evacuation of the immediate area, authorities said.

A second explosion at the station injured at least 26 firefighters, emergency officials said.

The explosions happened at a fueling station that provides liquefied petroleum gas, a fuel used in household appliances and as a gasoline and diesel alternative in some vehicles. They took place in the town of Crevedia, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Romania's capital, Bucharest.

Romania's health minister, Alexandru Rafila, confirmed to local media that one person had died. Several burn victims had been transported to hospitals in Bucharest for treatment, at least one of whom suffered extensive injuries, he said.

Romanian emergency rescue service SMURD said in a press release that a second explosion took place shortly after the first one. The head of the Romanian directorate for emergency situations, Raed Arafat, said 26 firefighters sustained injuries in the second explosion.

Arafat also said that residents of the area had been evacuated in a radius of 750 meters (2,460 feet) around the station, and that one LPG tank was still at risk of exploding.

A video on social media showed that the fire spread to an adjacent field and was steadily engulfing a low layer of dry crops. Several nearby houses and vehicles were damaged by the fire.