A four-alarm blaze that broke out Saturday afternoon at the Port of Benicia and enveloped surrounding communities in a thick layer of smoke is expected to burn at least into Sunday and create major economic challenges for the region, according to officials.
At about 2 p.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at the Amports facility off Bayshore Road. When they arrived at the scene, flames were seen at the base of silos filled with petroleum coke — a product of refining fuel. From there, a small outbuilding caught fire, as well as a conveyor belt system that is used to move product from the port to ship tankers, according to Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick.
Port of Benicia fire could burn for days, create major economic challenges for the regionSource: East Bay Times