The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) informed earlier this week, that a fuel leak, probably because of open valves and a running pump, was the cause of a massive blaze at a Mitsui & Co Ltd petrochemical storage operation along the Houston Ship Channel during March.
The fire that took place on March 17 at Intercontinental Terminals Co (ITC) shut the ship channel, while it also slowed production at local oil refineries. Moreover it closed roadways and schools as it spread from one giant storage tank to 10 others before being put out on March 20.
Now, Reuters reports that investigators believe that the fire began in piping next to a 80,000-barrel tank containing naphtha, which is a flammable liquid used in motor fuel production. Namely, a pump connected to the piping was left operating for several hours beginning the night before, in order to mix the naphtha with another fuel and prepare it for export.
According to the board’s lead investigator, valves on the piping had to be operated manually, in order to prevent emergency workers from shutting the piping system as the fire spread.
Now, the safety board plans to pursue the piping and other possible ignition sources for the blaze, to find the reason why the fuel release was not detected before ignition, why the release was not isolated, and why prolonged emergency response efforts were necessary to control and extinguish the fire.
