Staten Island Facility Fire; NY

NY | 2003-Feb-21

Initial Notification: 21 February 2003 - The NOAA SSC was contacted multiple times around 1100 and requested to report to the USCG Activities New York command center on Staten Island, NY. Upon arriving at the command center at noon the SSC was briefed about the barge explosion and subsequent gasoline spill. The barge (what was left of it) and manifold system on the dock were still on fire. The location of the ExxonMobile facility was: 40deg 31.5 N / 74deg 14.5 W. Trajectory and weather support were requested ASAP as well as resources at risk. Oil weathering calculations determined that the gasoline would evaporate very quickly (about 90% in the first several hours). The two major biological concerns from the environmental point of view were rafting waterfowl and potential fish kill. The SSC recommended that the fire be left burning as long as possible as long as it posed no further hazard to the facility or workers, to minimize the amount of gasoline released onto the waterway. The other safety concern expressed was the potential for gasoline to become trapped under piers and docks creating the potential for other explosive conditions. The two pipelines from the facility to the pier that were ruptured contained about 150,000 gallons each from the value to the end. One was on fire and the other leaking onto the facility. At 1530 the SSC and a MSRC representative went on an overflight of the area on a USCG helicopter. The SSC took video footage and digital photographs of the event as well as mapping the extent and quantity of oil observed in the Arthur Kill. At the time of the flight the tide was ebbing to the south. Oil was noted at the entrance to the Kills, for the most part remaining in the center of the waterway. The gasoline was mostly rainbow and gray sheens extending up to the facility. North of the site there were two other sheens noted, one probably leaching from the landfill site and another mystery sheen. The smoke plume was very visible. It wafted up about 125 feet to 300 feet and northward over Staten Island. The SSC returned to the command post and presented the video and observations to the unified command. The gasoline was for the most part non- recoverable. It was estimated that the amount observed was in the thousands of gallons, not tens of thousand or hundreds of thousands. Most of the fuel spilled was consumed in the fire or evaporated. The SSC notified Tri-State Bird Rescue of the spill and potential for oiled birds. No birds were found to be oiled. The SSC also converted video footage taken by the Vessel Traffic Service into a digital format for distribution to the media and investigating agencies. 22 February 2003 ? The SSC was supposed to participate in a first light overflight with the USCG. However, the rain and fog prohibited the aircraft from flying. At the 0800 unified command meeting a situation update was given. The manifold was still burning and would be attempted to inert and cap that morning. Joint investigations were underway by the NYC Fire Department Fire Marshals, Police Department Arson Investigations, US Coast Guard, and National Transportation Safety Board. The investigators were attempting to map the location of all of the debris. DonJon Marine was preparing a salvage plan. The Kills were still under one-way traffic with tug escorts. A sight safety plan was in place. NOAA was requested to continue weather updated for the next couple of days. The SSC participated in a news interview with the Staten Island Advance. Shoreline assessment teams reported seen sparse sheens off shore. They describe them as literally "evaporating before our eyes." Heavy rains and wind were the weather of the day. The SSC was contacted by the Coney Island Aquarium concerning the possibility of gasoline entering their water intakes. They were assured that the fuel would not travel that far. The SSC converted the video footage from the previous days overflight into a digital format for distribution to the media and investigating agencies.