Suppression System Douses Fire at N.Y. Gas Station

June 09--GERMANTOWN -- A woman lost control of her car at a gas station, striking a fuel pump so hard it pulled the pump out of the ground, slammed it into the wall of the station and caused a small fire, authorities said.

The crash and fire -- which officials said could have been much more damaging than it was -- occurred Sunday afternoon at the Sunoco station on Route 9G.

The driver, a 64-year-old woman from New York City, told State Police she could not control her car as it came to the station, troopers said.

The car went straight through a pump, taking the gasoline pump with it, troopers said.

After striking the side of the brick building, residual gasoline from the pump ignited, sparking a blaze on the side of the station, Germantown Assistant Fire Chief Doug Pearson said.

The blaze was out five minutes after firefighters arrived, Pearson said. A fire suppression system inside the dislodged pump kicked on, shutting the pump down and keeping the fire from spreading, Pearson said.

However, there was no suppression system on the overhang above the pumps, Pearson said. The assistant chief said such suppression systems are common, though he was unsure if there were special circumstances that allowed the Route 9G station not to have one.

"It could have been a lot worse," Pearson said.

After striking the station, the driver's car kept going until it went into bushes and stopped, Pearson said.

Troopers said no one was injured in the incident. Whether any tickets were issued was not immediately clear.

Copyright 2014 - Times Union, Albany, N.Y.