Explosions, fire at hydrogen fueling station destroy $1.1 million GET bus

Kern County’s first hydrogen fueling station caught fire early Tuesday as explosions rocked Golden Empire Transit District’s new, $3 million-plus bus-filling facility northwest of Golden State Avenue and F Street.

A portion of Golden State was closed while Bakersfield Fire Department personnel dispatched to the site at 1:15 a.m. battled the fire. A $1.1 million hydrogen bus was destroyed along with part of the filling station.

GET said in a news release buses were being fueled at the time of the fire.

“Explosions were heard and seen from the tanks on the bus that had just been filled, but the primary tanks of the actual fueling station did not ignite due to safety technology,” it stated.

“The situation this morning could have been worse but with the functioning safety mechanisms in place and the swift action of the Bakersfield Fire Department minimized damage and no injuries were reported.”

CEO Karen King said it was too early to speculate what went wrong.

GET has purchased 10 hydrogen-powered buses as it works to meet state requirements that all new public transportation in the state be emissions-free by 2040. In November it opened the hydrogen station at its headquarters at 1830 Golden State Ave.

The station produces so-called blue hydrogen from natural gas piped to the site.