Smoke billows from fire buring in two tanks at a NuStar oil storage facility in Contra Costa County, California, U.S. October 15, 2019, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Courtesy of Napa County Sheriff’s Office/Social Media via REUTERS.
HOUSTON (Reuters) – A fire broke out Tuesday in two tanks at a NuStar oil and refined products storage facility in Crockett, California, the company said.
A Contra Costa County Fire Department spokesman said the fire had spread to a third tank at the facility, located next to the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo, California.
Some roadways including an interstate highway were shut and between 12 and 20 nearby residents were evacuated, according to Steve Hill, spokesman for the county fire department. Other residents near the storage facility were told to shelter in place.
NuStar said no injuries had been reported from the fire.
The giant tanks were covered with foam in an effort to extinguish the fire and nearby tanks were being cooled with water spray to prevent them from igniting.
NuStar said the burning tanks contained less than 1% of their capacity.
Hill said one of the tanks contained 167,000 gallons, or about 4,000 barrels, of ethanol, an alcohol that federal rules require be added to gasoline to reduce pollution.
Officials did not say whether the fire was related to the aftermath of a small earthquake Monday night that disrupted operations at two other nearby oil refineries in Martinez, California.
Reporting by Erwin Seba and Jessica Resnick-Ault; Editing by Sandra Maler and Richard Pullin