Nustar Fire


The Nustar Fire was a fuel storage fire and wildfire at the NuStar Energy facility in Crockett, California, which started about 2:00 PM on 15 October 2019. By 9:00 PM the same evening, the fire was contained, though two tanks of ethanol were still burning. About 15 acres burned.
The ATF and other agencies are investigating the cause of the fuel tank explosions. There is some speculation that the event might be related to the nearby earthquake 15 hours earlier.
On 22 October it was reported that the Nustar Fire was provoking opposition to an expansion of the Phillips 66 refinery tank farm adjacent to the NuStar facility, in Rodeo.
As of 25 October 2019, two ships delivering imported ethanol are stuck without a place to unload, since the NuStar terminal is the only terminal in the San Francisco area set up to receive ethanol, and has been shut down by the state while they investigate the fire.
On 27 October, another fire, the Sky Fire, threatened Crockett, burning another 150 acres along Cummings Skyway. Most of the town and the NuStar facility were evacuated. The Sky Fire was extinguished on 28 October.
According to the 30-day interim report on the Nustart fire submitted to the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Programs by Shore Terminals LLC: