CloseLoss of Containment
Pool Fire in a Bund / Dike
The spill was contained in the bund. Then it caught, and the bund became a fire pit.
What happened
A liquid hydrocarbon spill collects in its bund — containment working as designed — then ignites. The bund now holds a sustained, broad, radiant pool fire that threatens the tank it surrounds and every neighbour in radiant range.
Why it matters
Buncefield's fuel burned as large pool/tank fires for days, and the firewater-plus-fuel mixture then defeated the containment itself. Pool-fire radiant heat to adjacent equipment is a primary relief/depressuring design case (API 521 external fire).
Control sequence
- Isolate/stop the source feeding the pool.
- Apply cooling water to exposed neighbouring vessels/tanks.
- Apply foam to the burning pool (correct extinguishing medium).
- Manage bund drainage — contain without spreading burning liquid.
- Escalate/evacuate per emergency plan.
How often
Media-reported large storage-tank fires run 15–20 per year worldwide (1990s–2000s data), and 480 tank fire incidents were recorded globally 1951–2003, lightning the leading cause (Persson & Lönnermark, SP Report 2004:14, "Tank fire incidents 1951–2003"); a…
Consequences
Buncefield: pool/tank fires burned for days; firewater + fuel overwhelmed the bund and contaminated groundwater (MIIB). Radiant heat can escalate to neighbouring tanks — ~4.5% of low-flashpoint tank fires involved 12+ tanks (595-fire study, PSEP 2023).
Evidence gate: publish only after verification
- 15–20 reported tank fires/year worldwide (SP Report 2004:14).cited
- 480 tank fire incidents 1951–2003; lightning = leading cause (SP Report 2004:14).cited
Experience
Coming soon
EON Life Simulation
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