Investigators said mechanical failure triggered explosions that ignited an asphalt plant Sunday morning in Tacoma, Washington.
Photo Courtesy of Tacoma Fire Department
A series of pre-dawn explosions sent fire sweeping through a storage tank containing 70 tons of liquid asphalt Sunday morning in Tacoma, Washington.
At about 4:30 a.m., firefighters and hazmat personnel responded to the Gardner Fields asphalt plant in northeastern Tacoma, employing a defensive strategy, local media report. Thick smoke led to issuance of a advisory warning nearby residents of a potential health issue.
Firefighters ordered utilities to shut off the natural gas and electricity to the plant in preparation to apply firefighting foam. Flames died out within several hours and the health advisory was cancelled.
“Current conditions are minimal fire activity and the smoke column has decreased signiticantly,” the fire department Facebook account reports.
As part of the overhaul operations after the fire, crews moved through the plant with hand lines to extinguish any remaining hot spots.
No injuries were reported. Authorities attributed the explosions that triggered the fire to a faulty supply line linking several asphalt tanks.
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