Fire Chiefs say local communities do not have ethanol fire fighting equipment, training; at risk from ethanol train fires

February 27, 2008

The International Association of Fire Chiefs said that that most local fire departments do not have the materials or training, to put out ethanol fires. Ethanol, fires require special alcohol-resistent foams that cost 30 percent more than standard foams used to smother gasoline fires.

Ethanol eats through standard gasoline fire-fighting foams and continues to burn, while water is not effective with fuel fires because it spreads the fires and carries it into areas such as drains and sewer systems.

Ethanol trains, carrying up to 2.5 million gallons of fuel, travel through more than 20 US states and hundreds of communities. By contrast, 10,000 gallons of fuel per tower caused the World Trade Center disasters on 9/11.

25 ethanol related fires or disasters have occured in the past six years, including a recent explosion at the American AG Fuels plant in Defiance. A full list of ethanol fires can be found here. Other recent ethanol fire disasters include derailments in Windsor, Colorado and a 30-car derailment in Ohio.

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Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under Policy