TIVERTON — A scuba tank exploded as it was being refilled and damaged Pisces Diving Services at 1019 Main Rd., yesterday afternoon, although the man filling the tank at the time of the accident was unharmed.

The Tiverton Fire Department responded to the shop at about 3 p.m. for a report of an explosion, Fire Chief Robert D. Lloyd said.

The man, whom Lloyd would not identify, told firefighters that he was filling the breathing tank with compressed air when the tank’s top apparently separated, exploding the tank, shattering lights and sending it across the room where part of the tank embedded in a wall, Lloyd said.

The building sustained “considerable” damage of roughly a few thousand dollars, Lloyd said.

Lloyd said a scuba tank explosion is a “rare occurrence,” something he’s never seen in his 30 years of firefighting.

The man was “extremely lucky” to have been out of the tank’s trajectory, Lloyd said.

“I would go buy a lottery ticket,” Lloyd said.

Officials reported the incident to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.