A fire broke out at a local airport when a group of technicians were filling up a fuel truck.
A fuel truck operated by Sound Aircraft Services caught fire during a routine safety test at East Hampton Airporton May 8 at 2 p.m. The fire occurred while technicians were conducting a standard test involving the transfer of 100-octane aviation gasoline between internal tanks on the truck.
Eight minutes later, three officers from the East Hampton Town Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene. Upon arrival, it was determined that the fire had occurred during fuel transfer operations conducted following a routine annual meter inspection by New York State Weights and Measures technicians. This agency oversees the calibration and accuracy of fuel dispensing systems, including those used for aviation fuel at airports, to ensure compliance with state standards and consumer protection laws.
As testing concluded and fuel was being returned to the tank, vapors emitted from the truck were ignited by a spark caused by static electricity.
The technicians onsite quickly extinguished the fire using a Purple K fire extinguisher. The East Hampton Fire Department arrived within 15 minutes and cooled the tank with water. There were no injuries, no fuel was spilled, and the fire remained fully contained to the truck’s tank. However, water did enter the tank during cooling efforts, contaminating the fuel, which will be safely removed and disposed of at a certified environmental treatment facility.
The airport was temporarily closed through a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) from the Federal Aviation Administration and reopened at approximately 3:00 p.m. A second NOTAM was also issued indicating that 100-octane aviation gasoline is currently unavailable at the airport.