A fire broke out at an oil storage facility at around 3 p.m. The fire was located between a pumping facility, where work was in progress, and a 7,000 m³ tank of petrol. The site’s internal emergency plan was triggered. The depot was secured, and 20 people were evacuated from the site. The operator deployed two fire hoses to combat the fire and the tanks located nearby were cooled down. The firefighters deployed foam into the pumping facility. The fire was extinguished at 4:15 p.m. Two responders who had suffered burns were taken to the hospital. Another individual was slightly injured during the intervention. Extinguishing water was collected and processed on site.

It was determined that welding work was responsible for the fire

Work was underway to connect the new pumping facility to the petrol piping. Preventive measures had been taken to secure the section: drainage and platinum plating of the line, installation of blind flange then filling of the pipe with water. During the welding operations, water was injected via the blind flange and discharged through a high point vent.

According to the initial information gathered by the operator, gasoline residues were present in the piping at an unidentified low point. This occurred despite the cleaning protocol in place and the explosive measurements conducted. When the piping was filled with water, some of the gasoline may have become lodged behind the blind flange. Moreover, an undersized vent may have caused pressure in the line to increase when water was introduced. Since the blind flange was not designed to withstand this overpressure, gasoline vapours may have escaped. The vapours were then ignited by the hotspot created by the welding operation.

The operator believes that ground subsidence may have lead to the creation of a low point on the piping.