Samoa’s Petroleum Products Supplies Ltd (PPS) has confirmed that one of its employees died in a fire that started during work on one of the company’s fuel tanks at the Matautu wharf yesterday afternoon.
Another worker was hospitalized but was discharged from Motootua National Hospital yesterday.
Three firefighters were admitted due to exposure to intense heat and smoke inhalation, according to our correspondent in Apia, Merita Huch.
In a statement about the fire. the company says that at around 10am there was an explosion at one of the diesel fuel storage tanks on the wharf at Matautu-tai.
The explosion triggered a fire, and within minutes Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) personnel arrived at the scene.
Emergency workers immediately evacuated everyone within close proximity to the wharf.
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the explosion.
As a safety precaution, the main fuel terminal at Sogi was shut down immediately to avoid any risk of fire from the undergorun pipes which deliver the fuel form the fuel tanks at Matautu to the terminal in Sogi. .
Once the fire was contained and the tank site was deemed safe, the fuel terminal was reopened and normal operations resumed.
Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, led the coordination of the Disaster Advisory Committee and personally requested assistance from the Australian, New Zealand and the United States Governments.
The fuel company says all have assured the government of their support and are now looking at how they can mobilize technical assistance and capacity-building support for emergency services and to avoid a repeat of such an incident.
