Nustar Fire

{{Short description|2019 fire in California, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}

File:Nustar Fire smoke plume from San Francisco.jpg toward Crockett]]

The Nustar Fire was a fuel storage fire and wildfire at the NuStar Energy facility in Crockett, California, which started about 2:00 PM on 15 October 2019.{{cite web | url = https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/15/nustar-fire/ | website = Cal Fire | title = Nustar Fire | date = 15 October 2019}} By 9:00 PM the same evening, the fire was contained, though two tanks of ethanol were still burning.{{cite news |title=Contra Costa County Fire: Fire contained at NuStar energy facility in Crockett near Rodeo |url=https://abc7news.com/fire-breaks-out-at-nustar-facility-in-crockett/5621132/ |access-date=15 October 2019 |publisher=abc7news.com |date=15 October 2019}} About 15 acres burned.

The ATF and other agencies investigated the cause of the fuel tank explosions.{{cite news |last1=Hollyfield |first1=Amy |title=Contra Costa County Fire: ATF serves search warrant at NuStar energy facility |url=https://abc7news.com/fire-contained-at-nustar-facility-in-crockett-cause-under-investigation/5622706/ |access-date=16 October 2019 |date=16 October 2019}} There is some speculation that the event might have been related to a nearby earthquake 15 hours earlier.{{cite news |title=Officials Investigating If Earthquake Triggered Explosion, Fire at Bay Area Fuel Storage Facility |url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/16/officials-investigating-if-earthquake-triggered-explosion-fire-at-bay-area-fuel-storage-facility/ |access-date=16 October 2019 |publisher=KTLA 5 news |date=16 October 2019}}

On 22 October it was reported that the Nustar Fire was provoking opposition to an expansion of the Phillips 66 refinery tank farm adjacent to the NuStar facility, in Rodeo.{{cite news |last1=Borba |first1=Andria |title=Plans To Build New Petrochemical Tanks In Rodeo Face Pushback Following NuStar Fire |url=https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/10/22/plans-to-build-new-petrochemical-tanks-in-rodeo-face-pushback-following-nustar-fire/ |access-date=4 November 2019 |publisher=KPIX5 CBS SF BayArea |date=22 October 2019}}

As of 25 October 2019 (10 days after the fire), two ships delivering imported ethanol were stuck without a place to unload, since the NuStar terminal was the only terminal in the San Francisco area set up to receive ethanol, and was shut down by the state while they investigated the fire.{{cite news |last1=Watkins |first1=Eric |title=Two MR tankers stuck in San Francisco as fire-hit ethanol terminal stops operations |url=https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1129684/Two-MR-tankers-stuck-in-San-Francisco-as-firehit-ethanol-terminal-stops-operations |access-date=27 October 2019 |work=Lloyd's List |date=25 October 2019}}

On 27 October, another fire, the Sky Fire, threatened Crockett, burning another 150 acres along Cummings Skyway. Most of the town and the NuStar facility were evacuated.{{cite news |last1=Chris Preovolos , Matthias Gafni , Michael Lerseth, and Steve Rubenstein |title=Twin fires burn in Vallejo, Crockett, threatening homes, college campus |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Vallejo-Fire-Interstate-80-Carquinez-Bridge-14566204.php |access-date=28 October 2019 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=27 October 2019}} The Sky Fire was extinguished on 28 October.{{cite web | url = https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/27/sky-fire/ | website = Cal Fire | title = Sky Fire | date = 29 October 2019}}

According to the 30-day interim report on the Nustar fire submitted to the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Programs by Shore Terminals LLC:{{cite web |last1=Habets |first1=Todd |title=30-Day Followup Notification Report – Contra Costa Health Services |url=https://cchealth.org/hazmat/pdf/nustar-incident-2019-1015-30day-report.pdf |website=cchealth.org |publisher=Shore Terminals LLC |access-date=9 February 2020}}

{{quote | The updated material released quantity estimate during the October 15, 2019 fire incident is approximately 6,664 total barrels of ethanol from the impacted tanks and approximately 3,846 barrels of renewable diesel and 43 barrels of jet fuel from the impacted piping.

As previously reported, the cause of the incident is unknown and is under investigation by Contra Costa

County Fire Protection District with support from several agencies, including yours. David LeCount has

been at the site much of the time participating. Shore Terminals LLC submits this as an interim report and

will update this report monthly until the investigation is complete and a final report can be submitted in

accordance with the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Incident Notification Policy.

}}

A final report from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District was completed and presented May 21, 2021. It concluded the first tank explosion was probably caused by an electric fault that ignited an ethanol vapor air mixture in the headspace of the tank. Improper grounding was observed as well as a pallet removed from the vapor line PRV after a 2012 incident. The second tank was damaged by debris from the first explosion.{{cite web |url=http://64.166.146.245/docs/2021/ISOCWS/20210525_1843/1853_Ad%20Hoc%20Committee%20Meeting%20052521.pdf|access-date=2023-09-24|date=May 21, 2021|title=Agenda}}