Dangerous fire of four oil lease sites under investigation

Image: The blaze was captured on video by a Twitter account: Core Design.

The cause of a dangerous oil lease fire is under investigation in the County of Minburn.

On Tuesday afternoon, emergency crews were called to extinguish a fire of four oil crude tanks located 23 km south of Mannville that was releasing toxic chemicals in the air. 

A air quality alert was put in place and people told to stay away from the area. The Minburn County Fire Department in partnership with emergency response teams from the County of Vermilion River, the Town of Wainwright, the Town of Vegreville, and the Village of Irma, worked to extinguish the blaze. 

The fire departments engaged in defensive cooling of the unaffected oil tanks while awaiting the private contractor’s arrival. Once they arrived, private water haulers were sourced to assist in the water shuttle and a suppression plan was made and carried out. 

The fire was extinguished at approximately 9:00pm. 

“We are grateful for the diligent efforts of emergency responders in successfully containing and extinguishing the fire. Now, in collaboration with Alberta Energy Regulator and the lease site owners, we are focused on the cleanup phase to ensure the community’s safety and the preservation of our environment,” says Pat Podoborozny, Chief Administrative Officer of the County of Minburn, in a press release. 

The AER is responsible for overseeing the lease site owner’s remediation and clean-up efforts.  

The Minburn County Fire Department (MCFD) responded with two engines, two tenders, one wildland, and a command unit. Fire crews evacuated personnel that were on the lease site and set up a staging area. 

The County said lease site owner advised the County Fire Chief that the lease site owner’s contract suppression specialists were dispatched from Blackfalds, prompting Minburn authorities to look for mutual aid. 

The fire departments engaged in defensive cooling of the unaffected oil tanks while awaiting the private contractor’s arrival. Once they arrived, private water haulers were sourced to assist in the water shuttle and a suppression plan was made and carried out. 

No injuries were reported.