Olympic pipeline remains shut after rupture, blaze in Renton

By Nick Perry
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

Although officials appeared to have the situation under control late yesterday, they could not say when federal and state authorities might give approval for Olympic Pipe Line to start pumping again. The pipeline supplies all of the aviation fuel used by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and much of the region's gasoline.

The fire began at about 8 a.m. yesterday in Renton after a three-quarter-inch pipe ruptured. It was a stainless-steel testing line that feeds from the main pipeline. The test line, used to monitor fuel flow, is on Olympic Pipe Line property in an industrial area.

An employee working in a nearby operating room noticed an explosion or flash about the same time as two passers-by did. Flames shot out about 20 feet at one point before firefighters extinguished the blaze around 11 a.m. Fuel continued leaking from the initial break before it was capped at 3:45 p.m. A second leak was discovered soon after and continued spilling fuel until it was capped at 5.30 p.m.

Three firefighters were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for observation after gasoline splashed on them. Fire crews from Renton, Kent, Tukwila, King County and Boeing rotated at the scene throughout the day, with about 50 on duty at any one time.

The rupture, in the 2300 block of Lind Avenue Southwest, is in a wetlands area. Environmental Protection Agency officials were waiting until the surrounding area was deemed safe before taking a closer look at possible contamination. EPA spokesman Bill Dunbar said that he hoped most of the spill was captured by a layer of clay under the test line.

Before the pipeline can be reopened, several agencies including the federal Office of Pipeline Safety, the National Transportation Safety Board, state and local authorities have to agree that it's safe, officials at the scene said yesterday.

The pipeline, which runs from Ferndale, Whatcom County, to Portland, pumps about 12 million gallons of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel each day.

It has been dogged by controversy in recent years.

Five years ago, three people died near Bellingham after 237,000 gallons of gasoline spilled from a rupture in the pipeline and exploded.

Two of the victims' families later settled a $75 million wrongful-death lawsuit against Olympic and four other pipeline companies.
 
Last year, Olympic Pipe Line, which is owned by BP and Shell, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company also rejected demands by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels for high-pressure water testing on the pipeline's Seattle spur last year. In a letter to Olympic, Nickels claimed that tests had revealed anomalies in 131 seam welds on the spur. Olympic said Nickels' demands were costly, unnecessary and legally unenforceable.

SeaTac spokeswoman Rachel Garson said last night that the airport has about two or three days' supply of fuel — about 3 million gallons — sitting in tanks near the airport. No disruption to flight schedules is expected as a result of the fire, she said. The airport was able to truck in fuel after the Bellingham disaster, she added.

Bobby Talley, Olympic's president and district manager, said it is too early to say what caused the rupture.

"Our top priority is safety," he said. "We will continue to work with safety inspectors, address the cause and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Talley said that as well as supplying SeaTac, the pipeline feeds gasoline and diesel to about 10 major distribution points that feed into hundreds of gas stations.

He said gas stations often keep about one or two days' supply on site.

The disruption comes at a time when vehicle owners in Seattle and across the country are coping with record-high gas prices.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com