Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Nine tanks of propane, methanol and race fuel exploded at Rainy Lake Oil Co. on County Road 332 east of International Falls, MN







INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) -


A massive fire in northern Minnesota has destroyed a heating oil and fuel company near the Canadian border.

Rainy Lake Oil Co. erupted in huge plumes of fire, fueled by eight or nine tanks inside the company's warehouse Monday night near International Falls.

The local fire department says the cause of the fire is under investigation.

The company's office manager, Janelle Heem, says a warehouse, office and gas station were destroyed. She says the company was talking with suppliers Tuesday in order to get the business back on track.

The company distributes in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Heem says the company has set up a temporary office and is making fuel deliveries with four trucks spared in the fire.

Several fire departments assisted after the blaze erupted around 7 p.m.



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The cause of a fire and value of loss at an oil company’s warehouse and office Monday night is not yet known.


International Falls Fire Chief Adam Mannausau said the blaze at Rainy Lake Oil Co. reported via 911 at 7:09 p.m. Monday burned through the night and was declared extinguished at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The oil company is located on County Road 332 east of International Falls.


The scene has been turned over to the Minnesota State Fire Marshal for investigation.




The glow of the fire could be seen for miles around as tanks of propane, methanol and race fuel exploded, causing flames to leap high into the air.


Mannausau said the nature of the fire was frustrating for firefighters.


“It was unfortunate that in the beginning it was a stand and wait game and that’s tough for firefighters to do, but we had to let a certain amount of the product burn off,” he said. “As you know, oil and water don’t mix so we had to wait for the petroleum to burn off before we could add water.”


Petroleum fires are not frequent in the community. “This was a new one in my career,” said the veteran firefighter.


No one was injured in the fire, Mannausau said.


Two homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure and there were no immediate dangers to the public as law enforcement blocked entry from all directions, he added.


The warehouse, office facilities, one tractor and trailer were a total loss.




An undetermined amount of petroleum product was released from the site and was contained on scene. The company will need to hire a private contractor to ensure the site is cleaned up properly, Mannausau said.


Mannausau and Falls Mayor Bob Anderson credited the assistance provided by local, state and federal agencies, as well as local businesses.


“All the people did a great job,” Mannausau said. “We got excellent support... It was a great team effort all along.”


Anderson told The Journal Tuesday that firefighters and other emergency response agencies did an outstanding job.


Open for business


Meanwhile, Rainy Lake Oil Co. was open for business Tuesday despite the fire.


Janelle Heem, who works in the office, told The Journal early Tuesday morning that the company can still supply home heating needs immediately.




“With the holidays, we don’t want anyone being cold in their home,” she said. “We’re going to keep going.”


However, she said the office has moved to Shannon’s Square in International Falls, and can be reached by calling 218-283-4477.


Heem said the company supplies “tons of people for their fuel oil heating and propane.”


The business can continue, she said, because many of the company’s trucks were not destroyed in the fire.


Assistance


The International Falls Fire Department was assisted by the Falls International Airport, the Fort Frances Fire Department, the Littlefork Fire Department, totaling 35 firefighters and seven pieces of equipment involved.


Assistance was also provided by the International Falls Police Department, the Koochiching County Sheriff’s Department and Office of Emergency Management, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Field Operations officers, International Falls Public Works, Koochiching County Highway Department, Minnesota State Duty Officer, Minnesota State Fire Marshal, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Minnesota Department of Homeland Security.


In addition, local companies including Roche’s Towing, Boyum Construction, Wagner Construction and Pelland Welding helped at the scene.


Mannausau noted the wide news coverage of the fire, which he said was a little surprising, adding that some national news reporters misunderstood the origin of the fire.


“They understood it was an oil refinery, not a warehouse,” he said.