October 6th, 2023
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
On August 25th, early morning Friday, firefighters responded to a chemical spill that erupted into a large fire at the Marathon Petroleum refinery’s storage tank area. It took firefighters almost eight hours to extinguish the large flames. Authorities evacuated all homes within a two-mile radius of the fire and only allowed residents to return when it was declared safe later that afternoon. Nearby safety shelters assisted residents in need of evaluation. Marathon personnel provided food and personal items to evacuated individuals.
An investigation was initiated to see what the source of the ignition was. A worker indicated that the flammable liquid, naphtha, caught fire after leaking from the storage tank area. Naphtha is a petroleum feedstock used to refine gasoline. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is working with Marathon to perform air monitoring at the facility and in the neighboring area. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries to employees, but one rescue worker required treatment for heat stress.
Property loss prevention inspections are valuable for evaluating fire hazards and risks. Risk Logic engineers perform comprehensive surveys to help prevent and control property loss. If your facility stores or utilizes ignitable liquids, please read our library of technical articles regarding flammable liquid storage, handling, and recommended electrical equipment/safeguards.
Please Contact Risk Logic about conducting a property loss prevention survey at your facility.
