Vehicle fire sends one to hospital, causes oil spill

BROOKSVILLE — A vehicle carrying oil burst into flames Wednesday afternoon at a Hernando County public works building, spilling hundreds of gallons and sending one person to the hospital.

Just after noon, multiple emergency rescue units responded to the county's Department of Public Works fleet maintenance facility in Brooksville, where a malfunction in one of the vehicles set it ablaze. On board were plastic containers holding 400 to 500 gallons of oil, which melted in the fire. The spill was contained to the parking lot and did not contaminate the ground or waterways, authorities said.

One person was transported to Tampa General Hospital for first- and second-degree burns.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage to the vehicle is unknown, authorities said. The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.