China Oil Depot Fire Kills 5 Firefighters
Lightning set fuel tanks ablaze at an oil depot in the coastal city of Qingdao, and official reports Sunday said five firefighters were killed, at least 12 people are missing and 86 injured.
Fires were extinguished in five tanks by Sunday night, about 36 hours after the fire started, leaving one tank still ablaze, the official New China News Agency said.
Premier Li Peng flew Sunday morning to the burning Huangdao depot, about 350 miles southeast of Beijing, to encourage the firefighters, it said.
The central government sent 20 tons of dry ice and 100 fire engines to the scene, and the navy’s North China Sea fleet sent hydroplanes and lifeboats to help.
The fire broke out at about 10 a.m. Saturday when lightning struck one tank, then spread to other tanks Saturday afternoon, it said. The burning tanks contained a total of 40,000 tons of crude oil.
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