A blast left a crater outside of a Philadelphia 7-Eleven store Tuesday after a backhoe punctured an underground gasoline tank.
The explosion rocked the gas pump area of the convenience store at Rising Sun and Wyoming avenues in the Feltonville neighborhood around 11:40 a.m.
The fire was quickly brought under control, fire dispatchers said.
Philadelphia police said the construction vehicle punctured a hole in the storage tank, which is connected to gas pumps, and sparked an explosion. The gas station was heavily damaged, but the convenience store was not damaged.
No injuries were reported.
The contractor working to remove the gas tank at the 7-Eleven is certified to do so by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and had a permit to do so, Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections says.
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The area where the blast occurred was closed to customers during construction, 7-Eleven said in a statement.
"The safety and well-being of our customers and employees is of [utmost] importance," 7-Eleven said. "7-Eleven is working closely with local authorities to identify the cause."
Philly police notified Homeland Security about the blast, police said.
