"Auto-Ignited" Matter Cause of June Refinery Fire
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
July 26, 2003
A three-alarm fire at a Benicia refinery that sent clouds of black smoke above the Carquinez Strait last month likely started when a material used to produce asphalt "auto-ignited," according to a report by the city fire marshal.
The four-page report, released Friday, did not fault Valero for anything it could have done to prevent the June 25 blaze.
Instead, it concluded that the material -- known as co-polymer -- ignited by itself while being stored outdoors in rows of cardboard boxes at the refinery's asphalt plant.
Samples are being analyzed at a federal forensic fire lab in Beltsville, Md., to determine how and why the material caught fire.
The incident raises questions about whether the product had been improperly stored during a searing heat wave.
A second fire involving the same material was reported at Valero's asphalt plant July 11. It was quickly put out.
Valero has relocated the product indoors and is no longer using it while tests are pending.
The co-polymer material, wrapped in plastic and stored in four long rows of boxes, had been sitting in a vacant parking lot since January. It was covered with a tarp.
A refinery worker had spotted a column of pitch-black smoke curling from the area June 25. He immediately called for help.
The blaze sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky, sparked a grass fire, snarled afternoon traffic and prompted a shelter-in-place warning.
It was nearly 100 degrees when the fire started, which raises questions about whether the heat played a role in the blaze. No one was hurt.
In response to the pair of fires, refinery workers have relocated the product indoors, and some of it was hauled off to a landfill.
Gene Gantt, the fire marshal, declined to say whether the material had been improperly stored. "It's not what we do. If this were a criminal investigation, we would continue on with it."
His primary job, he said, was to determine the source of the fire and to ensure that a similar incident is not repeated.
"We determined that it auto-ignited. It started itself on fire," Gantt said. "This is preliminary because they have to go through the testing of this product."
Valero Energy Corp., based in San Antonio, is conducting its own investigation into the fires. It plans to carry out a full safety audit of its Benicia asphalt plant, which has the capacity to produce 12,500 barrels a day.
Rich Marcogliese, senior vice president of refinery operations in San Antonio, said he had no indication that co-polymer was capable of igniting itself.
"Our common knowledge with this material was that it was supposed to be benign," he said. "So this caught us quite by surprise."
The company's history with the product, he said, was "all favorable. We had every reason to believe that this product was safe to store outside."
Valero has decided not to use this product, called Europrene Sol T, while it awaits lab tests by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"We have strong suspicions that there was something wrong with this grade of co-polymer," Marcogliese said.
Co-polymer, or "polymer modified," is a light, Styrofoam material used as a binder in asphalt mixes. It is commonly used in roadway projects to give asphalt better durability.
Valero had stored the material at 3400 East Second St.
But according to the safety data sheet for this product, Europrene Sol T should be kept "in its original packaging in cool, ventilated areas. Keep away from heat sources. Keep covered."
Marcogliese, former general manager of the Benicia refinery, said the material will no longer be stored outdoors. He said that if the product proves to be defective, "we will explore our options for recovery."
Polimeri Europa Americas, which manufactured the product, did not respond to an interview request Friday. A spokesman told the Times that the company would only respond to questions in writing. An e-mail inquiry was not returned.
Dana Dean, a member of a citizens advisory panel that works with Valero, is becoming increasingly concerned about the recent fires at the refinery.
"We were very fortunate that a lethal situation did not come out of the fire June 25," she said. "Now, we have the opportunity to see what went wrong and what we can do differently."
Valero, which bought the Benicia refinery from Exxon in March 2000, operates 14 refineries in North America.
Contra Costa Newspapers
July 26, 2003
A three-alarm fire at a Benicia refinery that sent clouds of black smoke above the Carquinez Strait last month likely started when a material used to produce asphalt "auto-ignited," according to a report by the city fire marshal.
The four-page report, released Friday, did not fault Valero for anything it could have done to prevent the June 25 blaze.
Instead, it concluded that the material -- known as co-polymer -- ignited by itself while being stored outdoors in rows of cardboard boxes at the refinery's asphalt plant.
Samples are being analyzed at a federal forensic fire lab in Beltsville, Md., to determine how and why the material caught fire.
The incident raises questions about whether the product had been improperly stored during a searing heat wave.
A second fire involving the same material was reported at Valero's asphalt plant July 11. It was quickly put out.
Valero has relocated the product indoors and is no longer using it while tests are pending.
The co-polymer material, wrapped in plastic and stored in four long rows of boxes, had been sitting in a vacant parking lot since January. It was covered with a tarp.
A refinery worker had spotted a column of pitch-black smoke curling from the area June 25. He immediately called for help.
The blaze sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky, sparked a grass fire, snarled afternoon traffic and prompted a shelter-in-place warning.
It was nearly 100 degrees when the fire started, which raises questions about whether the heat played a role in the blaze. No one was hurt.
In response to the pair of fires, refinery workers have relocated the product indoors, and some of it was hauled off to a landfill.
Gene Gantt, the fire marshal, declined to say whether the material had been improperly stored. "It's not what we do. If this were a criminal investigation, we would continue on with it."
His primary job, he said, was to determine the source of the fire and to ensure that a similar incident is not repeated.
"We determined that it auto-ignited. It started itself on fire," Gantt said. "This is preliminary because they have to go through the testing of this product."
Valero Energy Corp., based in San Antonio, is conducting its own investigation into the fires. It plans to carry out a full safety audit of its Benicia asphalt plant, which has the capacity to produce 12,500 barrels a day.
Rich Marcogliese, senior vice president of refinery operations in San Antonio, said he had no indication that co-polymer was capable of igniting itself.
"Our common knowledge with this material was that it was supposed to be benign," he said. "So this caught us quite by surprise."
The company's history with the product, he said, was "all favorable. We had every reason to believe that this product was safe to store outside."
Valero has decided not to use this product, called Europrene Sol T, while it awaits lab tests by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"We have strong suspicions that there was something wrong with this grade of co-polymer," Marcogliese said.
Co-polymer, or "polymer modified," is a light, Styrofoam material used as a binder in asphalt mixes. It is commonly used in roadway projects to give asphalt better durability.
Valero had stored the material at 3400 East Second St.
But according to the safety data sheet for this product, Europrene Sol T should be kept "in its original packaging in cool, ventilated areas. Keep away from heat sources. Keep covered."
Marcogliese, former general manager of the Benicia refinery, said the material will no longer be stored outdoors. He said that if the product proves to be defective, "we will explore our options for recovery."
Polimeri Europa Americas, which manufactured the product, did not respond to an interview request Friday. A spokesman told the Times that the company would only respond to questions in writing. An e-mail inquiry was not returned.
Dana Dean, a member of a citizens advisory panel that works with Valero, is becoming increasingly concerned about the recent fires at the refinery.
"We were very fortunate that a lethal situation did not come out of the fire June 25," she said. "Now, we have the opportunity to see what went wrong and what we can do differently."
Valero, which bought the Benicia refinery from Exxon in March 2000, operates 14 refineries in North America.
posted by Corey at 8:01 PM
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