The fire that was burning for over two days at Brazil’s major container port Port of Santos has finally been extinguished, local firefighting units said on Saturday.
The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon, January 14th from one of containers containing chemicals on the Guaruja side of the port sending poisonous gases into the sky and spreading over the nearby towns.
The cause of the fire has been attributed to a chemical reaction caused by rainwater that leaked into containers containing hydrochloric acid and sodium dichloroisocyanurate, resulting in the fumes and subsequent fire.
Initial reports indicate that the fire spread to at least dozen of containers at the terminal operated by Localfrio logistics company, Reuters informed, restricting ship movement. Two terminals were closed for operations, however the remaining terminals resumed normal work.
Over 50 people are reported to had sought medical attention for smoke inhalation and local residents were instructed to remain home and shut their windows to avoid inhalation of dangerous gases.
The fire comes in less than a year from another similar incident from April 2015 at Latin America’s largest fuel tank storage facility run by Ultracargo located near the port of Santos, Brazil.
World Maritime News Staff