Samoa – One Dead After Fuel Tank Fire

One Dead After Fuel Tank Fire In Samoa

One person is dead as a major fire continues to burn in Samoa’s capital Apia

The Samoa Observer reported the man was killed while carrying out maintenance work at an oil tank on the main wharf when it exploded.

He and another man were taken to hospital.

Eye witnesses say the flames appear to have been quelled.

However, there are fears the fire, which has forced the evacuation of thousands of office workers and the closure of schools, may spread to two other tanks and fuel pipes underneath the city.

The Samoa Observer reported the area was being evacuated, while people were being asked to stay away from Matautu Wharf.

“The message comes from the Disaster Management Office (D.M.O) as firefighters battle the blaze,” the newspaper reported.

ONE News understands the New Zealand High Commission in Apia has also been evacuated.
Samoa’s Disaster Management Office said the fire was “unstable and unsafe”.