Man Dies, 500 Flee Homes as Oil Tank Is Ignited by Lighter

GILBERTOWN, Ala. — The careless flick of a cigarette lighter at an oil storage tank started a fire that killed one person and raged out of control Saturday. About 500 persons were evacuated as the blaze threatened a nearby town.

Police Chief Freddie Moore said the fire began when two young couples climbed on the storage tank Friday night and one of the men fell through the soft plastic cover.

“They were up there acting childish and he fell in,” Moore said. “The fire started because his friends apparently thought it was a water tank. The other boy, he struck a cigarette lighter so he could see.”

The oil was instantly ignited and the man trapped inside burned to death. The others escaped injury, and rushed to the police station to report the fire.