INTERESTING INCIDENTS
Of the Fire
Fought on Mormon Island
Within an area of 1000 feet square, nearly a million barrels of various
fuels are stored. If Tank No. 10 and ruptured (it was struck by a piece of flying steel)
what then?
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Firemen working on the Shell Oil Company premises had worked nearly
three hours before a portion of the flaming tanker could be seen, the fire was that
intense.
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A portion of the deck from the Markay was blown over 800 feet into the
office of Mr. Dobler of the Texaco Oil Company. Another piece, 25 x 40 feet was blown
about 150 feet into the parking lot of the Shell Oil Company missing a parked car by
inches.
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Sheared rivets, one inch in diameter, were scattered over a wide area
and were reported to have fallen in a yard in San Pedro, five miles away.
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The third explosion occurred about 2:30 A.M. and the fourth about 5:00
A. M.
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The Navy Tug, the YTB 703, won the admiration of all firemen with whom
they came in contact, for the fine job they were doing with the two turrets they had in
operation. In the vernacular to the Navy, all we can say is Well Done.
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The burning tanker will present a tough salvage problem. She is broken
amidships and should be fairly difficult to salvage.
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The wind, at the time of the fire, and what little breeze did spring up,
was favorable to the protection of the burning vessel.
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Truck 49, while proceeding down the narrow alley-way between Shell Oil
and Texas Oil, encountered singed, bruised and shocked seamen who had escaped from the
burning ship. 49s stopped them and gave directions for receiving first aid
treatment, but the dazed seamen only inquired as to how far it was to Los Angeles and they
werent stopping until they reached there. We wondered if they did, in
their skivvies?
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Moving Engine Company 28 to Engine 38, and Engine Company 21 to Engine
49, gave a duplex pumper, a hose wagon with 3 1/2 hose (28s) and two
additional pumps and hose (21s two triples) in case additional pumps and hose were
needed quickly in the event one of the storage tanks exploded.
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Approximately 8000 feet of dock alongside the burning tanker caught fire
and was totally destroyed.
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The entire Wilmington-San Pedro area was without immediate fire
protection for approximately 30 minutes or until Engine Company 33 moved into Engine 36
and Truck 10 moved to Truck 48.
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All the vessels moored at the eastern portion of Mormon Island, Berths
172 to 190 inclusive, made a general exodus from the narrow channel, where they were tied
up, to the Outer Harbor. Maybe they thought this was going to be another Texas City.
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Captain Torrance, Master of the tanker Markay, appearing before a Coast
Guard board of inquiry, revealed that the vessel was loading 49,000 barrels of butane
blended gasoline, and stated that he understood that blended butane was butane mixed with
lover gravity gasoline to permit handling with pumps.
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As we go to press, eight bodies have been recovered
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