The US Chemical Safety Board has released a video exploring the massive explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum (CAPECO) terminal facility near San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On October 23rd 2009, the blast rocked the site after gasoline overflowed from a large aboveground storage tank, forming a 107-acre vapour cloud that ignited. Flames from the explosion could be seen from as far away as eight miles.
Whilst there were no fatalities, widespread damage hit around 300 nearby homes and businesses. Petroleum leaked into the surrounding soil, waterways and wetlands.
In the video, CSB board member Rick Engler said: “The CSB found the current EPA and OSHA regulations are inadequate to control the hazards from facilities like Caribbean Petroleum that store large quantities of gasoline and other flammables.
“As a result, the company was not required to conduct a risk assessment of the danger to the nearby community from its operations and the company did not have to implement safeguards that could have prevented the explosion.”
