Huge explosions are heard in the Puerto Rico North Cost area as an oil storage facility caught fire on Friday night. The types of fuel stored were jet fuel, bunker fuel and gasoline. The facility was run by Gulf petroleum but was named as Caribbean Petroleum Corp.
Management at Caribbean Petroleum Corp. confirmed that nobody was killed in the incident. The explosions shattered the windows of nearby homes and passing vehicles. A driver told that the broken parts of windscreen wounded his face and he was being treated for injuries.
FBI agents are also rendering their expertise to minimize the damage and curtail the fire from attacking the other reservoirs of fuel. A police helicopter was sent to examine the extent of the damage. As the story is developing some 11 reservoirs are said to have caught fire. 29 others are at high risk and firefighting efforts are concentrated to keep them at lower temperature than the surroundings.
There is wide spread fire spewing thick putrid smoke. There is a risk that smoke can interfere with the planes passing above the area, so the authorities have blocked the air traffic above the Catano area.
All nearby educational institutions would remain closed on Friday as per the Government circular.
People have been warned to keep the airways closed to avoid excessive smoke from accumulating in the houses. High risk individuals have been shifted to safe places.
Meanwhile highways leading to the area were being cleared by the authorities to make it easier for fire fighting vehicles and rescuers to approach the facility.
Explosion in Puerto Rico
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