Tema: Fire Service saves Quantum Terminal gas station from explosion

Fire on Friday, September 29, 2023, destroyed parts of a gas installation belonging to Quantum Terminal at Tema in the Greater Accra Region.

However, the timely response from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) saved the booster station located behind GTP in the Tema Industrial Area from escalating.
 
The GNFS deployed five fire appliances including support from the Tema Oil Refinery Fire Brigade to the scene to control the situation 

At the time of the accident, a vessel was said to be offloading gas at the harbour through the pipelines to the booster station to the Quantum Terminal in the Kpone Power Enclave. 
 
Response

The Tema Regional Operation Officer of the GNFS, DOII Fiifi Oppong who spoke to the Daily Graphic about their operation said the Industrial Area station received the call around 7:53 am and the personnel got to the incident scene at about 8:02 am adding that on arrival they called for assistance.

He said the GNFS deployed a team of firefighters, supported by a fleet of five fire engines and water tankers from the Tema Metro and Motorway Fire Stations as well as support from the Tema Oil Refinery fire brigade adding that the combined efforts proved instrumental in swiftly tackling the blaze and preventing it from spreading further.

He said the affected pipeline found leaking gas was isolated while the remaining gas stuck in the pipeline was managed with a foam compound and sacks to bring the situation under control at about 8:24 a.m.
 
DO II Oppong said an initial assessment of the situation indicated there was a leakage of gas due to high pressure built up within the pipeline, forcing the gas out through the safety valve handles, adding that the gas came in contact with a yet-to-be-determined ignition source which caused the fire.
 
He indicated that as a precautionary measure, a team of fire personnel were deployed to the nearby industries to shut down any available heat source while the road between VALCO Roundabout and Tema Oil Refinery was also blocked to prevent the situation from escalating into a major disaster.
 
DO II Oppong said the GNFS has begun investigations into the circumstances that caused the fire outbreak.
 
Inspection 

Meanwhile, engineers from Quantum Terminal were spotted at the fire incident site inspecting the facility and parts of the network of pipelines that were charred to determine the next line of action.
 
An officer of the company at the fire scene who did not have authorization to speak told the Daily Graphic that the company had also initiated investigations to unravel the cause of the fire.