Accident caused by ruptured naphtha line
CALGARY The fire at an oilsands project north of Fort McMurray was the result of a line failure that caused an oil-based thinning agent to leak, a spokesman said Wednesday.
But investigators have not been able to access the scene at Syncrude Canada’s Mildred Lake project because the fire, which is under control, continues to burn, Will Gibson said.
“The original fire has been isolated and under control. It’s burning off residual hydrocarbons,” Gibson said. “This is the safest approach to managing the situation.”
The explosion and fire at the facility’s bitumen upgrader Tuesday afternoon sent one worker to hospital in serious condition. The worker was listed in stable condition Wednesday.
Most of Syncrude’s employees returned to work at the Mildred Lake project after its second fire in less than two years.
Gibson said the fire started when a line failed causing a leak of treated naphtha, an oil-based thinning agent, though the volume is unknown.
During the controlled burn of residual hydrocarbons at the fire scene, Syncrude may also use flaring to burn off excess natural gas, hydrogen and, occasionally, poisonous hydrogen sulphide “in a safe manner.”
“Once it’s safe to proceed, Syncrude will complete a damage assessment and begin repairs,” Gibson said.
“A full investigation into the incident will also take place so we can understand what happened and prevent future incidents.”
Syncrude said it is focused on assessing the damage and stabilizing its plant, owned by a consortium of companies led by Suncor Energy Inc.
Occupational Health and Safety investigators had not yet been allowed on the site due to ongoing safety concerns, a spokesman said.
The Alberta Energy Regulator said its staff are assessing the area, ensuring safety and environmental requirements are met. The regulator is also monitoring air quality in the community and surrounding area.
Alberta Health Services had earlier issued a precautionary advisory that air quality could take a dip due to smoke and low levels of sulphur dioxide that had been emitted during the blaze.
Gibson said the consortium is assessing production losses, adding it wasn’t a priority.
“It’s always a concern when we have an incident that endangers the safety of the people that work here, endangers the plant operation or potentially could have an environmental impact,” Gibson said.
“As with the case with the previous ones that have happened, we’re taking a very thorough and methodical approach to responding to it and investigating it so that we can address the cause.”
A fire in August 2015 cut production at the Mildred Lake plant by 80 per cent after damaging pipes, power and communications lines between units of the upgrader. It resumed production the following October.