© Screenshot/Martin Hernandez
Colombian rescuers and the military have been pulled to the port of Compas in the city of Barranquilla to extinguish
a fire that broke out at an oil storage facility after an explosion, local fire service said on Wednesday.
"Nine vehicles of the Barranquilla Fire Department are extinguishing a fire at a fuel company, with personnel from the Interior Ministry and [the National Unit for] Disaster Risk Management working at the scene.
We regret to inform about the death of Sgt. Javier Enrique Solano Ruiz during this emergency," the department said on Twitter.
The city government announced the establishment of a coordination headquarters and the involvement of the river firefighting fleet to cool the oil tanks to prevent further explosions.
Barranquilla Mayor Jaime Pumarejo said that
the prevention of ignition of the two remaining oil tanks was the main goal of the firefighters, adding that it has not been possible to bring the fire under control so far.
The security zone around the storage has been expanded to 800 meters (2,624 feet).
The local interior ministry said that
experts from the United States will arrive in the region to help coordinate the extinguishing of the fire.
Local authorities urged residents to use masks and respirators, close windows, and take care of pets as combustion products enter the atmosphere and are being carried by strong changing winds over long distances.
Comment: Also today in Morocco:
Mohammedia Gas Storage Facility Goes Up in Flames
A huge fire has broken out in a gas storage facility in the Moroccan city of Mohammedia on Thursday, reports and videos show.
Footage shared online has gone viral, showing huge columns of fire and explosions engulfing some gas storages in the city, near the port where gas and other flammable materials are stored.
screenshot
Several energy companies such as Afriquia, Total, and Shell reportedly use the facility.
The facility's proximity to other storage sites and other institutions where flammable materials may be contained in large volumes is stoking worries that emergency services may not be able to contain the fire properly.
Witnesses reported hearing explosions as far away as 10 kilometers from the explosions' site.
Some reporters and witnesses on the site have also reported that families and citizens living near the facility have evacuated the surroundings.
Some have said regular firefighters and emergency vehicles might not be able to effectively contain the fire, and called on national emergency authorities to authorize the use of more advanced containment methods such as firefighting planes.
A selection of other recent explosions, fires, and outages at energy facilities from around the world:
Comment: Also today in Morocco: A selection of other recent explosions, fires, and outages at energy facilities from around the world: