Stuart Petroleum; Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida | 1993-Jan-02

Initial Notification: At approximately 0400 on January 2, 1993, an explosion and fire at the Steuart Petroleum Company in Jacksonville, FL killed a security guard. It is believed that a tank had been overfilled and when the security guard drove near it, a spark caused the explosion. The tank contained approximately 4,500,000 gallons of gasoline. Unburned product was contained in the berm area around the tank farm. Steuart Petroleum is located in the Jacksonville Port Terminal and the St. Johns River runs within 1,000 feet of it. The Jacksonville Fire Department responded to the fire and, in addition to land-side fire-fighting equipment, a fire-fighting boat was stationed on the St. Johns River as a precaution. The USCG COTP Jacksonville, closed the channel from the Trout River Inlet through the southern end of the Long Branch range the morning of January 2. Later that day, the channel was opened to one-way traffic that was restricted to the east side. The fire department transferred product from the damaged tank to other tanks and the damaged tank was continuously cooled throughout the operation. The fire was on top of the tank so the fire fighters blanketed that area with aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) attempting to smother the fire. To maintain the integrity of the tank, water was continuously pumped into it keeping the level constant. The resulting water-foam mixture was pumped from the berm area into the St. Johns River to sustain the necessary berm containment volume from January 4 until January 7 when the fire department declared the fire out. On January 6, all water was drained from the tank and pure foam was introduced at both the top and bottom to completely extinguish the flames. A protective blanket of foam was placed on top of it, and a reflash watch was maintained throughout the night. The fire was declared out at 1400 on January 7. USCG district 7. Keyword: none.