Firefighters were called to the scene of a four alarm fire that erupted at Benicia Port in California on Saturday. When crews reached the scene, the fire was burning at the base of a petroleum coke silo. The flames were seen traveling up the conveyer belt towards a tanker ship that was docked nearby. Parts of the flames were only accessible from the water beneath a pier.
It took firefighters around 24 hours to extinguish the fire. The Coast Guard is asking boaters to be cautious in the area as there is still large amounts of debris in the surrounding water. A 3,000 foot boom was deployed after the fire was extinguished to contain the debris.
Benicia Fire Chief Chadwick stated “The primary concern was the safety of the community. The biggest potential threat to the community was air quality. The smoke emitting from the fire contained particulate matter and the potential of toxicity from chemicals. We were fortunate in having continuous wind blowing from the west, allowing the smoke to blow towards the water and dissipate before impacting other populated areas.” The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Benicia Port Fire Extinguished; Water Clean-Up Efforts Underway
