Huge petrol leak threatens Brisbane

Press, 12 July 1988, Page 8

Huge petrol leak threatens Brisbane

NZPA-AAP

Brisbane

A crackdown on safety measures at chemical storage sites is expected to follow yesterday’s huge petrol leak that forced thousands of people to be moved and threatened Brisbane.

The police declared a state of emergency, cut off power to 3000 consumers and closed roads, fearing one spark could turn a cloud of petrol vapour into a lethal fireball. Several thousand people were moved from homes and businesses when a six million litre tank.ruptured at the Ampol-owned Circle Petroleum’s depot near Eagle Farm racecourse, about 10km from the city centre. The Administrative Services Minister, Russell Cooper, criticised the state of the storage depot and Local Government Minister, Jim Randell, demanded a report from the Brisbane City Council, which is responsible for policing fuel storage facilities. The fuel tank — inspected and cleared by council officers in January and by an Ampol

engineer just 10 days ago — split at about 6.30 a.m., spilling thousands of litres of petrol. More than 300 police, fire brigade and other emergency personnel were involved in the operation, but no injuries were reported. Evacuees were slowly returned to their homes and businesses as emergency services brought the leak under control. The police said only the immediate area around the Fison Avenue fuel depot was still cordoned off late yesterday as the last of the spilt fuel was mopped up and transferred into safe storage. They were still concerned about the fire risk from petrol fumes hanging over the Ampol-owned depot. Mr Cooper inspected the accident scene and criticised the state of the fuel tanks, describing

their condition as poor. “An inspection of the tank in question has revealed to me that it is perfectly obvious that it was in very poor condition,” he said. “It was inspected only 10 days ago by an Ampol engineer. "Our concern is why the tanks should have been utilised in such poor condition. "It could have been a horrendous situation.” He also tipped a statewide crackdown on safety at chemical storage sites. “This has been a timely warning,” he said. He is waiting for a report from Fire Services Commissioner Mr Wally Belcher. Council health committee chairman, Mr Keith Murray, said yesterday that health officers found the tank satisfactory in an external inspection in January.