CONTRA COSTA — Contra Costa County fire officials are investigating the cause of a large fire that broke out at an East Bay fuel facility on Tuesday afternoon, closing down Interstate 80 and prompting shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents.
Contra Costa Fire Protection District’s investigative unit will lead the review starting today, said spokesperson Steve Hill at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
“It’s far too early to know,” Hill said as to the cause of the fire, adding, “We always prepare for the unexpected. But I’d be hard-pressed to say we expected this yesterday.”
Officials on the scene of NuStar Energy facility in Crockett will now focus on evaluating nearby structures to ensure there’s no threat of recurrence, Hill said.
The fire broke out shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday and ignited two large ethanol tanks that were “more or less completely destroyed,” Hill said. Flames then spread to nearby vegetation. This occurred after a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck 15 miles south of the NuStar on Monday. Officials have not connected the two incidents.
Although the immediate threat has passed, nearby tanks will be further evaluated today, Hill said, to be certain of their structural integrity.
No major injuries were reported; crews rescued one worker who was initially trapped at the facility, according to a spokesman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. One firefighter was treated and released overnight for “minor injuries,” Hill said.
Witnesses said the sound of the explosions reverberated for miles, with a fireball visible from the highway and billowing black smoke.
By Tuesday evening, all lanes of the highway had re-opened, and the shelter-in-place warning for West County residents was lifted.
Check back for updates.
