Operator of burning Calaca LPG plant apologizes to residents

South Pacific Inc., operator of the LPG plant that was struck by fire in Calaca, Batangas, has apologized to residents over the inconveniences caused by the incident.

In a statement Monday, South Pacific spokesperson Ronie Badidles said the company "deeply apologizes to the residents of Calaca for the unease and the disturbance caused by fire engines roaring in to quell the flames."

The local government of Calaca said an estimated 1,126 individuals or 296 families left their homes for fear of possible explosions and are now in three evacuation centers in the province.

Two people were hurt in the incident, one of them a firefighter who responded to the fire.

Badidles said the two-day fire has already been contained.

"The fire that started around 4:00 p.m Saturday was suppressed by 4:00 a.m Sunday, at which point the fire marshall simply decided to allow the residual gas in the tanks to safely and gradually burn off through their flare headers," he said.

Flare headers

Badidles said only the flare headers of the affected tanks were burning as of Monday.

Flare headers are safety devices on top of the tanks used to burn off the gas in a controlled manner during an unplanned over-pressuring of the tanks caused by the excessive heat from fire.

"The tanks were built based on US engineering and safety designs," Badidles said. "They are set in sand and enclosed in a concrete barrier. The tanks did not fail or burn."

"As expected, the tank's flare headers were the ones that controllably burned the gas coming out, as the pressure relief valves also did their job and opened up," he added.

No violation

He maintained that South Pacific "is fully compliant with every safety standard."

"All our permits and certifications are in order," Badidles said. "Nobody really wants an accident like this, but they still happen."

He said they will "cooperate fully" in the administrative inquiry that will be conducted by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Philippine National Police, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the municipal government of Calaca.

"We will wait for the fire investigators to do their job. Right now, we do not want to speculate as to the cause of the mishap," he said. —Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas