Worker Burned In Power Plant Hydrogen Fire

JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) -- A worker as burned overnight when leaking hydrogen gas caught fire in a power plant outside Joliet.

Crews from the East Joliet Fire Protection District responded about 10:30 p.m. Monday to the Midwest Generation facility, 1601 S. Patterson Rd., and found compressed hydrogen leaking from a trailer, Capt. Matt Skole said.

Firefighters were on the scene for nearly four hours as they stopped the leak and extinguished the blaze, he said.

One employee of the plant was burned and taken to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Skole said. The extent of the worker's injuries was not learned.

No firefighters were injured in either the fire or the hazardous materials response, Skole said.

The Will County Sheriff's office had no immediate information on the fire early Tuesday, and a spokesman for Midwest Generation could not be reached.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.