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McDonald fire chief killed in explosion

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Scott Albertini, chief of McDonald Volunteer Fire Department, was killed Tuesday morning while working in West Virginia.

“He was killed in an industrial accident this morning, not related to the fire department,” said Joe Rehak, president of the department.

According to the Inter-Mountain newspaper in Elkins, W.Va., a Barbour County Sheriff’s Department deputy confirmed a tank explosion at Midland Resource Recovery Inc., caused the death.

Albertini, 53, was a 35-year member of the volunteer fire department, who lived in an apartment in the borough’s public safety building. He was married with two daughters and two grandchildren, said Rehak.

“He came up through the ranks until he became chief,” said Rehak. “We’re devastated. Scott was very popular and well-liked.”

Midland Resource Recovery was the site of May 24 explosion that killed two, including the owner of the company.

The Associated Press reported Midland Resource Recovery, a company based in Ontario, Canada, odorizes natural gas. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said contractors at the facility were disassembling a tank to make it safe from the previous explosion.

A spokesman for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is investigating, told the Associated Press the victim was an employee of Specialized Professional Services Inc.

A message left at the Washington-based company was not immediately returned.

Rehak said the department will update its website and social media pages when service information is available.

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