Fires rage for 15 hours after oil pipeline in China explodes
BEIJING -- An oil pipeline at a busy Chinese port exploded, causing a massive fire that burned for 15 hours before being put out Saturday.
State-run media said the pipeline blew up Friday evening and more than 2,000 firefighters worked overnight to control flames and further blasts on a second pipeline.
China Central Television showed flames raging among tanks at the port in the northern city of Dalian, and state media described flames of about 100 feet high.
The cause of the initial blast was not clear. The Xinhua News Agency said it happened after a tanker uploaded oil at the port. It said the tanker left safely.
A spokesman with the city's firefighting brigade said sporadic sparks could still be seen at the site Saturday morning, Xinhua reported. China National Radio said officials were considering the evacuation of about 600 homes nearby, but no-one was reported killed.
Expanding public transportation keeps looking better and better.