North Dakota Firefighters Extinguish Oil Tank Fires

A fire that spread to eight storage tanks holding close to 1,000 barrels of crude oil north of Alexander was extinguished early Friday afternoon.

The Alexander Fire Department and representatives from Enbridge applied a foam substance to contain the blaze, according to Michael Barnes, an Enbridge spokesman. The eight tanks were destroyed and four others nearby were damaged by the heat.

The fire started around 5 p.m. Thursday at the Alexander substation of the North Dakota Pipeline Company property, said Barnes. North Dakota Pipeline is a subsidiary of Enbridge.

The eight tanks that burned were owned by Tidal Energy LLC, said Barnes, adding that Tidal Energy was leasing the property from the North Dakota Pipeline property.

The fire started while one of Tidal Energy LLC trucks was loading crude at the site, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to McKenzie County Emergency Director Jerry Samuelson.

“The fire was suppressed by 12:30 p.m. Twelve tanks were destroyed,” said Barnes, adding that the oil can still be drawn from the four heat-damaged storage tanks.

Barnes said berms surrounding the tanks prevented the remaining crude from spilling away from the site.

“A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident,” Barnes said.

McKenzie County Emergency Manager Jerry Samuelson confirmed Friday afternoon the fire was out and said Enbridge officials were on the scene.

Samuelson said the Alexander Fire Department watered down the other four tanks Thursday night through Friday to prevent the fire from spreading while they let the other eight tanks burn through the night.

He added no homes were located near the immediate range of the fire. No injuries were reported.

The fire could have been caused by electrical problems when a semi was unloading more crude, but that hasn’t been confirmed, according to Samuelson.

Portions of U.S. Highway 85 and McKenzie County Highway were closed Thursday evening because of the fire, but were re-opened by Friday morning.

The McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department kept the area secure during the blaze

Barnes said the pipelines on the property were temporarily shut down as a precaution.

State Health Department officials were investigating the scene, and the the state Department of Emergency Services has been notified, according to Samuelson.

“It appears the tanks have some containment,” said Karl Rockeman, director of the Water Quality Division of the state Health Department. “We’ll see if it reaches any waterways and evaluate it for any groundwater contamination. There isn’t generally a lot of groundwater in that area. It’s pretty deep down.”

The Williston Rural Fire Department, the Arnegaard Fire Department, the Watford City Police Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol assisted at the scene.

(Reach LeAnn Eckroth at 701-250-8264 or leann.eckroth@bismarcktribune.com)