2009 Cataño oil refinery fire
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
The 2009 Cataño oil refinery fire is an on-going fire that began on October 23, 2009 at the Caribbean Petroleum Corporation oil refinery and oil depot in Cataño, Puerto Rico. [1]
The initial fire destroyed eleven storage tanks at the facility, but quickly spread to other nearby tanks. The tanks contained jet fuel, oil, and bunker fuel. The resulting explosion was measured as the equivalent to a 2.8-magnitude earthquake of the Richter scale.[1] At some point the flames reached a height of 100 feet (30 meters) above the refinery.[1]
130 firefighters, with the support of the Puerto Rico National Guard, responded to the fire. 1,500 residents were evacuated from four adjacent communities. [1]
Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño declared a state of emergency.[1] President Barack Obama separately declared a federal state of emergency in Puerto Rico, clearing the way for U.S. federal agencies to coordinate disaster relief and authorizing the use of federal funds.[2] Fighting the fire has cost the local Puerto Rican government more than $6.4 million, as of October 25th.[2] The United States Army announced that the explosion and fire had closed nearby Fort Buchanan until further notice.[3]
Authorities constructed a temporary pipe to San Juan Bay in order to bring seawater to fight the fire. [4] Fire fighting foam was supplied from the nearby United States Virgin Islands.[4]
The Caribbean Petroleum Corporation supplies most of Puerto Rico's oil and gasoline, which is marketed under the Gulf Oil brand name. Government officials have reported that Puerto Rico has enough fuel and diesel to last for 24 days after the disaster.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Evacuation from Puerto Rico fire". BBC News. 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ a b Martinez, Andres (2009-10-25). "Puerto Rico oil fire burns uncontrolled". United Press International. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ "Fort Buchanan remains closed due to fire". Caribbean Business. 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ a b "Winds shift as fire burns Puerto Rican oil depot". Reuters. Washington Post. 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ Martinez, Andres (2009-10-23). "Puerto Rico Has Fuel Supplies for 24 Days After Fire". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
External links
 | This Puerto Rico–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |