Shortly after 3pm on Tuesday June 16th, thick black plumes of smoke, with red hues could be seen coming off the South Dock Port area in Providenciales.
Photos and videos rapidly circulated on social media platforms.
All major fuel companies, Rubis, Caicos Oil and Sun Oil, the Ports Authority and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force evacuated staff members from their offices to avoid further incidents.
Emergency personnel, ambulance, police, domestic fire and airport fire services were on scene to help extinguish the blaze.
It is being circulated that a propane tank may have been the cause of the fire however official details have not yet been released.
Sun Oil Limited issued a statement late Tuesday evening advising that they were aware of an incident that at the port facilities located behind their South Dock terminal in Providenciales and that Sun Oil was not involved in the operations of the affected facility.
RTC was made to understand that One male received severe burn injuries and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
The Ministry with responsibilty for port operations, issued a statement to say They along with other emergency and public safety agencies continue to work together to manage the situation and assess any potential risks, and they are working to facilitate the safe resumption of operations as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.
If this indeed was…. A propane tank explosion… an incident such as this can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal, but the level of danger depends heavily on the tank size, whether the gas is leaking, and whether the tank itself ruptures.
We extend sincere gratitude to all stakeholders, and emergency personnel for their swift response and professionalism during this event.
