Moss Landing Oil Tank Fire Sets Off Gas Blasts

A tank containing roughly 1 million gallons of crude oil caught fire Tuesday afternoon on the edge of Moss Landing harbor, sparking a series of explosions that blanketed Monterey Bay with dark smoke.

Flames from the oil spread to five liquid propane gas tanks, which exploded. No one was reported hurt in the blast, fire officials said.

Seventy-five firefighters from Monterey County responded to the scene at the Duke Energy power plant shortly after 4 p.m. But because other propane tanks were still in danger of exploding, crews were forced to spray water on the flames from a distance, according to Ron Stefani, a division chief with Monterey’s North County Fire Department.

The fire was expected to burn at least through the night and maybe longer, according to fire officials.

“Crude oil is thick like molasses, and once it gets going, it’s difficult to put out,” Stefani said, adding that he anticipated the fire would be extinguished when fire officials could get enough fire retardant foam to the site.

Authorities were most concerned about the thick plumes of acrid smoke bellowing into the air. Stefani said that the fumes were “not real toxic,” but that residents in the area were being told to remain in their homes with windows closed as a precaution. Health officials were at the scene to evaluate the situation, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department.

Stefani said work crews had been demolishing some tanks in the area. He said he suspected that the oil was inadvertently heated by their equipment, eventually setting it ablaze.