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The tanks are just across the street from a major Enbridge
Inc crude oil facility. That facility did not appear to have
been damaged, despite initial concerns it had been affected.
It was not immediately clear who owns the storage tanks that
caught fire and emergency responders declined to comment. The
tank battery does not appear on state regulators' maps.
The crude damaged by the blaze is a minute proportion of the
more than 1 million barrels produced each day in North Dakota,
the second-largest oil-producing state in the United States.
The crude will likely have to burn off completely before the
fire dies out, McKenzie County Deputy Sheriff Per Perez said.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation, officials
said, but foul play was not suspected.
The blaze started when two trucks were delivering crude to the
12-tank battery on Thursday afternoon, officials said. Nearby
residents reported hearing and feeling an explosion.
Each tank has a capacity of 210 barrels. All 12 of the tanks
contained crude, Perez said, and eight of them caught fire.
Trucks must be grounded each time they deliver crude, and it was
not clear if both of the trucks were properly grounded on
Thursday to divert electrical discharge.
Drivers of both trucks got away safely, Perez said.
An Enbridge spokeswoman was not available to comment.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Sandra Maler and Alan
Raybould)
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