'Oil refineries in Haifa are a ticking time bomb,' experts warn

A massive blaze raging in the Oil Refineries plant in Haifa was extinguished in the early hours of Monday morning, as environmental experts and local officials warned the close proximity of chemical processing facilities to the northern city's neighborhoods made them into a "ticking time bomb."

The fire, which erupted at 9:30 a.m. Sunday was apparently sparked by static electricity, and flames engulfed a 12,000 cubic meter (3.2 million gallon) tank within minutes.

Dozens of firefighting teams from several districts were called to the scene and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby tanks, an Israel Fire and Rescue Services spokesman said.

Haifa Fire Department spokesman Uri Chibutro said that 60 firefighting teams and 120 firefighters were called to the facility. Control of the flames was obtained within two hours, but strong wind conditions soon caused another massive flare-up.

The Environmental Protection Ministry opened its situation room, and residents in nearby neighborhoods were instructed to remain indoors as thick black smoke sent air pollution levels soaring. The ministry stressed that despite the smoke, the levels of toxins in the air remained low.

"Had the weather been warmer, this could have been the worst disaster in Israel's history," a senior firefighting official said. "We might have had to evacuate dozens of residents from nearby neighborhoods, but luckily, the rainy weather was on our side and the fire didn't spread to other tanks."

Firefighting efforts continued into the night, while Fire and Rescue Services and Oil Refineries officials gave contradicting reports on the amount of fuel in the tank: Oil Refineries said the tank was only 10% full at the time of the fire, but fire department officials said the intensity and lifespan of the flames indicated the tank was heavier when it caught fire.

Oil Refineries CEO Avner Maimon insisted Sunday that the details given to the fire department were accurate, adding the company has launched an investigation into the incident.

"This is the nightmare of every refinery, but we dealt with it successfully and very professionally," he said.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take urgent action to remove the chemical processing facilities from Haifa Bay.

"Had the fire in the Oil Refineries tank been the result of a missile attack, we would have a serious disaster on our hands," he said. "Why are we waiting for a major disaster to strike-"

Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin said, "The concentration of these types of factories is a known problem, and at the moment we are working to remove ammonia tanks from the bay. We can only imagine what would have happened had the fire spread out to the area next to the plant."

Amit Bracha, head of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, called for the creation of a state omission of inquiry.

Mor Gilboa, head of the Green Course environmental group, said that "the petrochemical industry in Haifa Bay and refining plants are a ticking time bomb."

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