KEMAMAN: The fire that broke out at the Kemaman Bitumen Company Sdn Bhd’s (KBC) giant storage tank for crude oil, has spread to the third container at its factory premises in the Teluk Kalong Industrial area.
The New Straits Times Press was informed that the initial fire, spotted at 6.15pm at one of the 300,000-litre capacity tanks, had subsequently spread to a second tank.
“By 9.30pm, the fire had spread to a third tank.
“However, rescue workers have managed to control the blaze at the first two tanks by up to 80 per cent and were now laboriously working on containing the fire at the third tank,” said a source.
It was learnt that the first tank holding 4,800 litres of crude oil had burst into flames, with thick, black smoke covering the airspace around the area, and which could be spotted for several kilometres.
A while later, a 13,700-litre tank caught fire before the flames spread to the third tank.
Dozens of Fire and Rescue Department vehicles and 23 personnel, led by operations commander Kasyfi Syahmi Ghazali, from the Chukai, Kemaman, Kerteh, Kijal and Paka stations have been mobilised to the scene to contain the blaze.
They were assisted by the Kemaman Mutual Aid (Kema) volunteer brigade comprising workers from nearby factories.
Up till Press time, firemen were still battling to extinguish the blaze at the tanks.