Mon 26 Oct 2009, 10:42 GMT

Puerto Rico: Bunker depot fire extinguished


Fire at oil storage facility near San Juan is finally put out after raging for two days.



A fire which broke out at a Caribbean Petroleum Corporation oil storage facility in near San Juan in Bayamon. Puerto Rico was extinguished over the weekend after raging for more than two days.

The blaze, which is one of the largest ever seen in the U.S Caribbean island territory, destroyed almost half of the plant's 40 tanks, containing a range of oil products including bunker fuel, jet fuel and gasoline.

Firefighters were working to damp down the facility after the last blazing storage tank had been extinguished.

The 48,000 barrels-per-day sour-crude refinery is not currently operating, according to undated information on the Web site.

Speaking at a news conference, Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno said "The fire has been completely put out. The imminent danger in the area has passed. Now life returns to normal, and we will enter a phase of assistance and reconstruction."

There is concern of spillage from the facility, Fortuno said in a CNN broadcast. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to find any fuel that has spilled.

Federal agents are expected to carry out a detailed inspection of the site to try to determine the cause of the powerful explosion on Friday which triggered the blaze.


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