Port Metro Vancouver’s four-alarm chemical fire, which shut down operations at the port for nearly 24 hours, has been extinguished and operations on the south shore of Burrard Inlet have resumed. Investigators at the scene are still working around the scene, looking to establish cause and effect of the fire, as well as the extent of the damage.
Vancouver’s fire officials put out a statement late Thursday night announcing that the emergency was no longer an active threat. By Friday morning, the port had reopened and resumed operations terminal-wide, including those at the Centerm terminal where the fire initially began.
“Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services has given the all clear designation and will release fire crews when fire protection services are no longer needed,” said the statement. Since then, things have been reportedly calm.
Dubai-based DP World, which owns the terminal, said its emergency response team was working with authorities in Vancouver to determine the exact cause of the blaze. John Parker-Jervis, Port Metro Vancouver’s Media and Government Affairs Advisor, says the terminal added a Sunday shift to assist in clearing backlog.
The blaze began Wednesday in a single container at Vancouver’s Centerm terminal when a box carrying trichloroisocyanuric acid, an industrial disinfectant, caught fire. The container from China held this compound used for disinfectant and bleach, and it burned for more than 24 hours after going up in flames.
The port’s operations on the south shore of Burrard Inlet were completely shut down,with no railway or truck available. The container, buried in a stack of other cargo, proved difficult to locate, access and isolate, according to Vancouver’s fire officials.
Fire crews worked for nearly 24 hours to contain the fire and build a berm around the box to prevent its contents from spilling over and spreading to other containers. Employees and those near the site had been warned that the smoke that blanketed portions of eastern Vancouver could cause significant damage to the eyes and respiratory system. But “Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services has confirmed there is no further risk to the public,” the port said in a statement Thursday.
“The events of Wednesday and Thursday demonstrated the value of the unified command structure of response,” Parker-Jervis said. “We were very pleased with the way in which all agencies, first responders came together with a coordinated response to the incident. We conduct ongoing scenario planning and emergency drills, and the value of these exercises was evident in how this incident was handled.”
In total, 13 people arrived at hospitals with eye and lung irritation as of Thursday night, though none were admitted, according to Vancouver Coastal Health. Scary as the situation was and definitely had the potential to be, thank you to Vancouver’s fire response team for taking care of business and ensuring that Port Metro Vancouver stayed operational!
