A Yakima, Washington-area fire chief says a fuel storage tank slated for disposal at the Pacific Steel and Recycling plant exploded Monday with a loud boom but no one was hurt.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports that East Valley Fire Chief Mike Riel says the explosion came as workers tried to dismantle the underground tank by cutting into the metal, creating sparks.

Riel says the tank was believed to be empty but sometimes some fuel residue remains. He says the fumes and air mixed with the sparks "made like a big cannon and shot the lid right off the tank." The lid landed about 200 feet away.

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