5 held after work leads to pipeline blaze
Print Edition
FIVE people have been held in connection with the huge fire on Monday evening triggered by a crude oil leak from a PetroChina pipeline, said police in northeast China’s coastal city of Dalian yesterday.
The oil pipeline near Dalian University in Jinzhou New District was damaged due to drilling operations of the local Dalian Yuelin Construction Engineering Company at around 6:30pm.
Leaked oil flowed into the urban sewage network and fire broke out at the exit of the pipelines.
PetroChina, China’s largest oil and gas producer, detected abnormal pressure in the pipeline and shut the valves on both ends in time, according to a company statement.
Foam and sand were used toq dilute crude oil that spread over roads.
Firefighters managed to put out the flames at 1am yesterday. Due to a speedy evacuation, no one was injured, said officials.
PetroChina has sent staff to clean up and recycle the leaked oil.
The spill hasn’t tainted tap water, but the local air was detected to contain volatile organic compounds 0.79 times higher than the standard. Firefighting, environmental protection and urban planning authorities are monitoring pollution, police said.
Five people from Yuelin have been taken for questioning. Their identities weren’t disclosed.
A PetroChina official said Yuelin may not have known about the oil pipelines.
Construction projects near pipelines should be approved by the local work safety authority. However, Yuelin began working without informing the authority, The Economic Observer’s website reported.
“PetroChina’s Dalian branch should also take responsibility. There should be staff patrolling the pipelines who can stop work immediately,” the official said, blaming it to the lax management.
Yuelin has not commented on the accident.
Serious accidents caused by oil pipeline leaks have become more frequent in recent years.
A total of 62 people died after crude oil leaked from an underground pipeline in November 2013 in the coastal city of Qingdao.
Corrosion led to a fracture and leak in the pipe while work on a sewage cover plate produced a spark that triggered the blasts, said Huang Yi, spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety.
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