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BONANZA, Uintah County — Investigators from various agencies are mopping up an overnight fire that destroyed a processing plant here.
Stuart Green, chief operating officer and senior vice president for American Gilsonite Company's Bonanza Mining Operations, confirmed there was a fire that consumed one of the company's surface processing plants.
"There were no injuries and we are currently cooperating with local, state and federal investigators," Green said in a statement. "The fire is out, and fire crews are currently monitoring the location for flare- ups."
Green did not say if anyone was in the building at the time of the blaze or if there were explosions, as some reports indicated.
"There will be more when we know more," he said.
Investigators with the Bureau of Land Management were already at the scene and investigators from the Mining Safety and Health Administration were also expected to arrive Wednesday.
- Non-hazardous, naturally occurring hydrocarbon resin, similar in appearance to coal or hard asphalt but not similar in properties
- Discovered in the 1860s
- Developed and produced by Samuel Gilson, who named the substance after himself
- Found only in Eastern Utah
The plant that was destroyed was one of two surface processing plants at the Bonanza site, located 40 miles south of Vernal.
American Gilsonite Company specializes in the mining, refining and processing of Gilsonite — a natural asphalt found only in the Uintah Basin, according to the company's website. The material was discovered in the 1860s and was developed and produced by Samuel Gilson, who named the substance after himself.
Email:geoff@ubstandard.com
