An explosion and fire at a gas tank farm injured two persons Saturday night and forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents of Kiryat Ata, near the Haifa Bay oil refineries and petrochemical industries complex.
Fire brigades from all over the Haifa area managed to contain the blaze, averting a disaster of catastrophic proportions had it spread to the adjacent refineries, where high octane gasoline and inflammable chemicals are stored.
According to firefighters, the explosion occurred while a tank truck was being loaded with cooking gas. The tank farm holds more than 1,000 tons of liquefied gas. Some trucks were loaded and others were waiting in line at the time of the blast.
Local officials have warned recently that the tank farm, owned and operated by the Paz Gas Co., lacked adequate safeguards against fire. The matter was taken to court several months ago by Kiryat Ata residents and the facility was ordered closed. The order was rescinded when Paz Gas undertook new safety measures.
Company officials insisted that the explosion had nothing to do with safety. They said the fault was an incorrect disconnection of a fuel pipe. However, Paz Gas promised that stricter safety precautions would be completed within three months.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
