Raw video from tank tank farm fire in Greensboro, NC. Blaze blamed on lightning strike.
More coverage from Firegeezer
I-40 in Greensboro, North Carolina has reopened folowing a six hour closure and a fire that began after lightning struck a gasoline storage tank around 1:00 AM is out . It happened at the Colonial Pipeline Company. Here’s the story from WFMY-TV’s Amanda Bazemore:
David Douglas with Greensboro Fire tells WFMY News 2 the tank that was on fire contained about 20,000 barrels of gasoline, less than half of its 50,000 barrel capacity. There are about 42 gallons in one barrel, according to Douglas. He says the tanks adjacent to the one that burned contained about 3,000 barrels or 120,000 gallons of gas each.
Throughout the fire, Douglas said there was no threat of an explosion and that emergency workers wouldn’t need to evacuate anyone because all surrounding businesses were closed.
For much of the morning, firefighters let the fire burn. Once the amount of fuel in the tank dwindled to about 10,000 barrels, firefighters used a foam chemical to attack the fire and knocked it down around 6:30 a.m. Firefighters sprayed water on the nearby tanks overnight to keep them from igniting.
Officials say two firefighters were treated on the scene for heat exhaustion. There were no other significant injuries.
Douglas says fire crews were being stretched to their maximum because of four other fires in Greensboro overnight. Two of those fires also appear to be weather-related, he says.
Guilford County Emergency Services Director Alan Perdue says that fire crews had just trained on the Colonial Pipeline site two weeks ago and hold regular training exercises with the company.
