Several fires at the Nasr Petroleum Company have caused tremendous financial losses, reports Reem Leila A massive fire broke out at the Nasr Petroleum Company (NPC) in Suez on 17 April, the third time a blaze erupted in the company since Saturday. The fire burnt out a nearby truck and injured 14 workers who were rushed to Suez Public Hospital for treatment. The flames spread approximately 20 metres. Fire first swept through the NPC on 14 April at dawn. The fire, which lasted for 18 hours, caused financial losses to the company estimated at LE12 million minimum. One worker was killed and 24 were injured, 10 critically, in the initial blaze. Other workers suffered from mild burns and breathing problems. Fire which erupted in four of the NPC storage tanks was preceded by a huge explosion at one of the tanks. The diameter of each tank is 24 metres and is 17 metres in height with a total area of 1,000 metres. More than 60 fire engines from Cairo, Ismailia, Sharqiya and Suez along with four fire fighting helicopters affiliated to the Armed Forces were needed to put out the blaze. Suez residents were concerned by the proximity of the fire; the NPC lies seven kilometres away from the centre of the city and is one of the major companies for producing oil products. They were also worried that the fire might spread to the Suez Petroleum Company's refinery, located only several metres away from the NPC. Government officials were urging Suez residents via mosque microphones to close all natural gas valves in homes. Residents were also asked to visit hospitals for blood donations. Huge clouds of black fumes which rose above the facility for several hours were easily seen from miles away. According to NPC employee Adel Mekkawi, safety measures at the company were "weak and insufficient". Mekkawi said several eyewitnesses claimed seeing a car burning shortly before the explosion. Fire has destroyed at least 10,000 tonnes of naphtha or about 20 per cent of the company's production. But Hani Dahi, executive manager of NPC stated, "the fire won't impact the local market because most of the products which were destroyed were an oil derivative allocated for export." This is the second fire in an oil company in Suez since February when five workers died and 24 where injured. "The company along with its facilities and products are completely insured. The company's administration had taken out an insurance policy against riots, sabotage and fire," added Dahi. Egypt has been suffering from fuel shortages which some officials blame on the government's insistence on subsidising fuel. Some people are blaming government mismanagement. Since the first fire, NPC employees have been organising regular demonstrations protesting against weak safety measures. Mekkawi said workers threatened to refrain from working until safety measures and renewal of equipment are put in place. "Company officials promised several times to renew the facility's equipment and to apply proper safety measures, but the promises were broken," said Mekkawi. Head of Suez security Adel Refaat stated that flames from three out of four tanks were contained. Fire fighter Beshir Saad, 32, died while attempting to put out one blaze. A blaze broke out on 15 April at the fourth tank which fire fighters were able to put out almost completely. "Fire forces resumed working for 24 hours to extinguish the fire," said Refaat. Although the cause of the fire is not yet known, an investigation is ongoing. Initial reports reveal that the plant fire was the work of arson. Meanwhile, cooling down the tanks as well as nearby tanks in order to prevent a further blaze started. At the same time, Refaat confirmed that the fire did not affect the movement of ships at Suez's three harbours. "Suez Al-Adabiya harbour received three ships loaded with 24,000 tons of cargo, in addition to two ships coming from southeast Asia loaded with various types of goods," said Refaat.
