Plains All American says operations resumed after Wichita Falls, Texas tank fire
Aug 29 (Reuters) -
Plains All American Pipeline on Wednesday said fire on a crude oil storage tank east of Wichita Falls, Texas was extinguished and the terminal and connecting pipelines have resumed operations.
The fire, which broke out on Tuesday morning, on a roof seal of a crude oil storage tank at the Wichita Falls Station was extinguished safely around midnight, the company said in a statement.
Wichita Falls is a crude injection point in north Texas along Plain’s Basin Pipeline, which runs from the Permian Basin that to the oil storage hub at Cushing, Oklahoma.
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WICHITA COUNTY, Tx (RNN Texoma) -
The Wichita Falls Fire Department says a crude oil tank fire was extinguished just after midnight on Wednesday.
Plains All American Pipeline officials say just before 8 a.m., the fire was discovered on a 60-foot tank at the station on the 2100 block of Harding Street.
All personnel and contractors have been accounted for and the staff is working with first responders, according to officials.
According to WFFD officials, 5.04 million gallons of crude oil caught on fire.
Crews almost had the fire out using foam but it reignited and around 10:30 a.m. had burned between 6 and 8 feet of crude oil from the tank, according to the WFFD.
Firefighters had to be pulled off because there is only one narrow catwalk without a railing to get to the top of the tank and there was not enough foam to keep it down, according to the WFFD.
A call for more foam and trucks that specialize in these type of fires was made and crews are on their way from Houston and Beaumont.
Air levels in the area are being monitored in the event toxins pollute the air too much where it would be unsafe. No injuries have been reported.
The road will remain blocked off until the fire is extinguished, which could take a day or two, according to WFFD. There is no threat of an explosion, according to WFFD officials.
Mark Kennedy, who lives near the tank said he is worried about his property and his neighbor's.
"This right here is kind of scary, because it's got crude oil and all that, and I don't know how many gallons are in there," said Kennedy. "If the wind changes all we need is one spark."
Wichita Falls fire crews said they believe during the replacement of the vapor seal on the tank the crude oil inside it caught on fire.
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Wichita Falls Fire responds to a hazmat fire east of Wichita Falls By:
Nicholas Quallich
Updated: Aug 29, 2018 11:00 AM CDT
WICHITA COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) - UPDATE:
As off 11 am Wednesday, the fire has been confirmed out.
According to a Wichita Falls volunteer firefighter, the tank fire was "under control" around 12 a.m. Wednesday.
Original:
15 Wichita Falls fire crews, including more than 20 off-duty firefighters, plus Sheppard Air Force Base firefighters, responded to the Plains All American Pipeline Tank off Harding Street, east of Wichita Falls.
In a statement to KFDX, Wichita Falls Fire Marshal David Collins said: "Plains All American Pipeline had contracted to have the vapor seal replaced on this tank. During the replacement of the vapor seal, the product in the tank became involved in fire."
Although crews have the fire contained, around 10:30 a.m. Monday, Wichita Falls Fire Chief Jon Reese stated crews fighting the fire near the top of the 5 million gallon crude oil tank had to get off.
"That tank is 60 to 70 feet high. And there's about a three foot catwalk with no side rails. So, it's a little bit dicey getting firefighters up there," Reese explained. "They made a valiant effort. They were within six feet of extinguishing it. And that's when we made the decision to abandon the tank."
At that time, the fire had burned off between six and eight feet of the crude inside the tank. Firefighters did not have enough foam and water to put the fire out, so Reese said they called in a specialized foam unit from the Houston/Beaumont area.
The tank on fire has a floating top, which means that as the crude goes in or out, or in this case burns, the roof goes down with it. Reese explained extinguishing a fire like this can be very difficult.
"If you think of a lid floating on top of a glass of water, what's burning is around the edge," Reese pointed out. "And as you push the fire around, then it's going to come back around behind you. Unless you are able to put water and foam all around it all at the same time, then it's gonna chase around behind you," said Reese.
Wichita Falls resident Mark Kennedy lives near the burning oil tank and shares his biggest concern.
"Catching the grass on fire. That's it and maybe blowing up. We've got loved ones around here. We don't want anything to happen to them," Kennedy said.
Chief Reese said there is little threat of a rupture or an explosion. But worst case scenario, the tank would take a day or two to burn out, something he and his crews hope they can prevent from happening
The chief adds if all goes according to plan, with the help of that foam unit, the fire should be put out in about two hours.
And besides crews from Sheppard, some volunteer fire departments also sent help to assist the Wichita Falls crews.