Pumped to be back in business

Feb. 21--The owners of the Sunoco gas station on Winchester Avenue didn't let an explosion get in their way of serving the community.

The station had an underground gas tank explode in April and it has taken months to get tanks to replace the damaged equipment. Store owner John Singh has kept his store open regardless of the lack of traffic to his gas tanks. Singh started construction and installed brand new, custom-built tanks the first week of January and re-opened their fueling stations on Feb. 7.

"I'm so happy but not happy," said Singh. "I'm so happy because my station is open. Everything you see is nice and clean. I'm going to be happy when I'm back on my feet like I was 10 years ago."

Singh said one of the biggest challenges they faced was working with the insurance company to get the money to replace their gas pumps and the amount of time it takes to have the tanks built.

"There are only three or four companies in the United States who build the tanks," said Singh. "The tanks are custom-made and it takes four months to build."

Singh said he is lucky he and his customers walked away safely from the incident in April.

Singh has kept the station open even without offering gas and it has been a financial strain because people in the community thought he closed the store.

"I want the community to help me out and come back to the store. We have fresh tanks," said Singh. "This is a brand new gas station right now. No water at all. Everything is new."

Singh said he appreciates everyone in the community who has continued to support his business.

(606) 326-2651 -- [email protected]

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