San Juan, Oct 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A furious fire broke out at a fuel storage facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday morning.

News agencies have been reporting that the fire broke out after an explosion cracked windows and rattled the ground. School children have been advised to stay at home because of thick clouds of black smoke hovering in the air, following the furious explosion in a fuel storage facility.

There were assorted reports of motorists being injured by shards of glass, after many vehicles windows got shattered in the explosion due to the fire. Plane traffic has been affected and has been diverted. The explosion was said to be equivalent to a 2.8 earthquake, according to the Associated Press. 


The fire could last for several days, despite best efforts to put it out. Nearly a dozen tanks are on fire at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp oil storage facility, which stores jet fuel, bunker fuel and gasoline too.

The cause of the explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. in the suburb of Bayamon is still unknown, though a full-scaled investigation is on.

Gov. Luis Fortuno said that, “Only one person has required treatment for smoke inhalation, and two others suffered minor injuries at the U.S. Army’s Fort Buchanan base adjacent to the fuel plant, which supplies Gulf gas stations across the island”.