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| MEMBERSHIP |
- BET's Letter to SAPREF
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public meeting - SAPREF decline invitation
- Photo Gallery Enviro Abuse
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| BET TO PROCEED WITH PUBLIC MEETING ENGEN EXPLODES INTO FLAMES 19/11/07 |
- BLUFF COMMUNITY SHORT
CHANGED ON PIPELINE PROJECT
Communities with the installation of the
SAPREF pipelines with constant deviations
bumpy poor road surfaces, temporary
detours, poor signage, roads littered with
trashed hazard equipment ....................
LEARN MORE ....... CLICK HERE
Church on the Way.
St. Georges Presbyterian Church Bluff, Durban, South Africa.
An initiative of
Press Release from Engen 20 November 2007
Fire at Engen Refinery
You will know of the fire that broke out at the Engen Refinery last night.
To put you in the picture this is what happened: The fire started in a floating roof petrol storage tank (tank X104) just after
19h00 yesterday, which contained no lead. The tank has a diameter of 45 meters and contained 7 500 000 litres of petrol,
when the fire started. Fortunately there were no injuries and the fire was contained within the single tank, with the rest of
the refinery still being operational and stable. We are focusing on cooling down adjacent tanks to avoid the fire from
spreading. Sterling work has been done to contain the fire, by our on-site fire team supported by Metro emergency
services and SAPREF emergency services.
Detailed root course analysis still needs to be done but it is highly likely that a lightening strike caused the fire which
started in the midst of a violent electric storm.
The fire was fanned by a south westerly breeze which has resulted in a plume of black smoke spreading North. Residents
were advised by SAPS to stay indoors and asked to stay away from the Refinery gates to avoid hampering access to
emergency services should they be required. At this point we have to thank the communities who responded very well to
requests by SAPS to stay indoors, this kept them and their families safe.
After 3 unsuccessful attempts to put out the fire using a combination of water and foam, we are currently pumping as much
petrol as possible out of the tank, while allowing the remainder to burn out. The petrol fire generated large amounts of
black smoke. Due to the heat of the fire, the black smoke plume rises high very quickly. Where the wind directs it to
ground, the smoke concentrations are in reduced concentrations due to dispersion. An independent authority captured air
samples several times during the night in surrounding communities. The analysis is not immediate and once we receive
the results we will forward these to a toxicologist to give advice on potential health impacts.
Engen regrets any inconvenience caused during this incident.
Fire at Engen Refinery
You will know of the fire that broke out at the Engen Refinery last night.
To put you in the picture this is what happened: The fire started in a floating roof petrol storage tank (tank X104) just after
19h00 yesterday, which contained no lead. The tank has a diameter of 45 meters and contained 7 500 000 litres of petrol,
when the fire started. Fortunately there were no injuries and the fire was contained within the single tank, with the rest of
the refinery still being operational and stable. We are focusing on cooling down adjacent tanks to avoid the fire from
spreading. Sterling work has been done to contain the fire, by our on-site fire team supported by Metro emergency
services and SAPREF emergency services.
Detailed root course analysis still needs to be done but it is highly likely that a lightening strike caused the fire which
started in the midst of a violent electric storm.
The fire was fanned by a south westerly breeze which has resulted in a plume of black smoke spreading North. Residents
were advised by SAPS to stay indoors and asked to stay away from the Refinery gates to avoid hampering access to
emergency services should they be required. At this point we have to thank the communities who responded very well to
requests by SAPS to stay indoors, this kept them and their families safe.
After 3 unsuccessful attempts to put out the fire using a combination of water and foam, we are currently pumping as much
petrol as possible out of the tank, while allowing the remainder to burn out. The petrol fire generated large amounts of
black smoke. Due to the heat of the fire, the black smoke plume rises high very quickly. Where the wind directs it to
ground, the smoke concentrations are in reduced concentrations due to dispersion. An independent authority captured air
samples several times during the night in surrounding communities. The analysis is not immediate and once we receive
the results we will forward these to a toxicologist to give advice on potential health impacts.
Engen regrets any inconvenience caused during this incident.
