Are gas stations in Nghe An safe?

(Baonghean) - At approximately 1:30 PM on June 3, 2013, a large fire broke out at gas station No. 2B on Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District (Hanoi). The flames, which at times reached 20 meters high, quickly spread and engulfed surrounding houses. Despite Hanoi mobilizing the Fire and Rescue Police force along with many modern firefighting vehicles at the highest level and arriving at the scene as quickly as possible, it took nearly 5 hours to bring the fire under control and completely extinguish it.

The initial cause of the fire has been determined: while the tanker was loading gasoline into the storage tank, gasoline leaked through the drainage ditch into the adjacent restaurant and caught fire. The flames then spread back to the tanker and almost immediately to the underground tank of the gas station. Fire and explosion experts were astonished that the tanker, carrying hundreds of cubic meters of gasoline, did not explode at such high temperatures. And if it had exploded, what would have happened?

Although the loss of life was not significant and it was not the first gas station fire in Hanoi, this was a massive and horrific fire. It truly sounded an urgent alarm about fire safety at gas stations and fuel depots, not only in Hanoi.

Looking at others, we should reflect on ourselves. According to statistics from the authorities, Nghe An currently has over 300 retail gasoline stations/fuel depots. The majority are located in cities, towns, and urban areas. Vinh City accounts for approximately 10% of them.

According to design regulations, gas stations must be located at least 100 meters from crowded areas, at least 10 meters from residential buildings, and at least 50 meters from public buildings; at least 1.5 times the height of the power pole from high-voltage power lines; at least 100 meters from fire and explosion hazards; and if adjacent to other buildings, must have a perimeter wall at least 2.2 meters high. If these regulations are strictly followed, will the gas stations and retail outlets in Nghe An comply with these requirements?

Discussing this issue, an officer from the Nghe An Provincial Police Department's Fire Prevention and Control Division affirmed: Currently, 100% of retail gasoline stations in Nghe An province comply with the above standards. Stations that violated the regulations have been dealt with. However, based on our visual observation, the number of retail gasoline stations violating these standards in Vinh City and other urban areas of the province is not insignificant. This is not to mention other violations of the Fire Prevention and Control Law or Government Decree 52/CP, such as the use of fire-generating objects or mobile phones at gasoline stations.

And, even if 100% of retail gas stations in Nghe An province met the required standards as the fire safety officer stated, the risk of fire and explosions at gas stations in Nghe An still lurks every second, every minute. This is due to the careless habits of some consumers, the negligence of many gas stations, and even the possibility that some officials of the relevant authorities have not been truly serious in inspecting and penalizing violations.

In Hanoi, prior to the fire at 2B Tran Hung Dao Street, it was estimated that over 50 out of 500 retail gas stations had to be relocated as soon as possible. This doesn't even include the serious deficiencies discovered at gas stations in the area after the fire. And in Nghe An, do the authorities need to conduct a survey and reassess the safety of over 300 gas stations?

Although it's a cliché, I still want to reiterate the saying "don't wait until you lose the cow before you build the barn" to urge relevant authorities and business owners to take action.

Viet Long