It was on the morning of december 19 of 1982, three workers were transferring fuel from the boat to the tank #8 from Tacoa generating plant. Two of them climbed to the top of the tank to check the fuel level when suddenly it explode. The tank was only 1/3 full with 3.5millions of gallons of heavy oil. The gases inside the tank burt in flames. The two workers where gone forever.
The third one drove for help, injured as he was. When the firefighters arrived they figured out the reach the flames inside the tank was difficult because it was located on a hill 150feets above the ground, the intense heat and smoke were making difficult to reach the flames, and the water and foam on the trucks weren't enough. Instead they decided to look for tank #9 and avoid it going into flames.
Couple hours later the reporters were saying that the flames were under control, the people that had approached to see the event didn't know what was about to come.
The tank #9 suddenly explode creating a ball of flaming oil, that went as far as 1500 feet into the air. After this, the heal was unleashed, a rain of burning oil start falling in all directions. The people couldn't do nothing. Some of them died instantly, others died trying to help others.
At the end more than 150 people died, some of them never were identified; there were more than 300 injured and more than 20$ millions in losses.
Two mysteries are about this accident, one is what started the flames at the tank #8?, and second how the explosion or boil over occurred?. These are questions that today, almost thirty years later, still being a mystery.
If you want to know more about Tacoa's tragedy you can look at the next links:
http://www.fireworld.com/ifw_articles/boilover_0409.php
http://www.urv.cat/catedres/enresa/en_historic_catastrofics.html#tacoa
if you want to know more about what is a boil over, check this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boilover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StKvP01MtBE
Wow, there was burning oil raining in the sky?? That seems very scary! Did the government investigate the cause of this accident? In the United States, our government investigates large accidents like these to determine the cause!
ReplyDelete-Christina
well in fact is from the sky, jajaja, but yes, one of the consequences of the boil over is this huge ball of flaming oil expelled to the sky, and comes down in for of "rain".
ReplyDeletethe sad part was that the government didn't investigate that much about this accident, and few week later they stopped the investigations about it.
the never new what caused neither the firs explosion or the boil over from the second tank.