- Title: BRAZIL: Fire engulfs one of world's biggest sugar terminals in Santos
- Date: 18th October 2013
- Summary: SANTOS, BRAZIL (OCTOBER 18, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SPRAYED WATER CONTAINING SMALL FLAMES STILL BURNING WAREHOUSE'S ROOF FIREFIGHTERS RUN CARRYING HOSE FIREFIGHTER CLIMBS LADDER WHILE A STREAM OF WATER IS SPRAYED ONTO ROOF VARIOUS OF SPRAYED WATER HITTING SMOULDERING ROOF CLOSE-UP OF HOSES IN MUDDY WATER RUNOFF VARIOUS OF PORT WORKER, JOSE ORAZIL, LOOKING ON AS FIRE IS EXTINGUISHED (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PORT WORKER, JOSE ORAZIL, SAYING: "I saw the fire deep inside the warehouse that caused everyone to run yelling, 'Fire! Fire!'" Everyone readied themselves as the fire brigades rushed to address the situation even though it was impossible because of how big the fire already was. It was really big. The fire caught the Copersucar conveyor belt and passed to the other warehouse by the belt." VARIOUS IMAGES OF THE BURNT EXTERIOR, WHERE MELTING HAD OCCURRED VARIOUS INSIDE THE DARKENED WAREHOUSE TWO MEN OVERSEEING DAMAGE FROM WALKWAY WHILE WATER IS SPRAYED
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Brazil
- City:
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Business,Accidents,General
- Reuters ID: LVA5KA55IRGOL2FGH7BMH80DU49Q
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Firefighters in Brazil have contained a fire that broke out at six Santos Port warehouses controlled by Copersucar. At least four people were injured, including one who was described as critical.
The fire broke out shortly after 6:00 a.m on Friday (October 18).
Some 25 fire trucks were needed to quell the fire.
The roof of one of the warehouses appeared to be totally destroyed.
According to the port authority, rubber mats caught fire after the roof of one warehouse collapsed which then helped spread the fire to the other warehouses.
Port worker Jose Orazil, an eye witness, said the fire was so large it could not be contained immediately.
"I saw the fire deep inside the warehouse that caused everyone to run yelling, 'Fire! Fire!'" Everyone readied themselves as the fire brigades rushed to address the situation even though it was impossible because of how big the fire already was. It was really big. The fire caught the Copersucar conveyor belt and passed to the other warehouse by the belt," Orazil said.
The conveyor belts that transport sugar from the affected warehouse to others at the terminal in Santos toppled over or were lying on the pavement along the side of the warehouse.
Reports indicated that a warehouse typically holds 90,000 tons of sugar.
Copersucar is Brazil's biggest trader of sugar and ethanol, Copersucar says nearly a fifth of the world's sea-borne sugar trade flows through its trading desks.
Only in June, Copersucar had inaugurated its expansion project at Santos that doubled its export capacity to 10 million tons a year.
A port official said that the clean up would likely take two days. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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