A fire at a property adjacent to a customer site — most likely caused by a lightning strike — created an emergency that required immediate response. The thermal exposure caused one of the customer’s 1,000-gallon odorant storage tanks to BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion), opening an 8-inch gash in the tank wall. A second 1,000-gallon tank, partially shielded from the first tank’s failure, sustained damage to a pipe on its vapor side and retained approximately 150 gallons of odorant in compromised condition. A 150-gallon day tank in the same system was charred by the fire but did not ignite.
The customer needed a response capable of stabilizing three damaged tanks, recovering the residual odorant safely, decommissioning the equipment for removal, and producing the documentation required for the insurance and regulatory follow-up that an incident of this severity generates. The response needed to be fast, technically rigorous, and disciplined enough to avoid making a bad situation worse.
Approach
MRR mobilized to the site within the response timeline required for the incident. The work proceeded in a deliberate sequence that prioritized stabilization before any equipment movement.
The first action was sealing the 8-inch breach in the ruptured 1,000-gallon tank to prevent any continued release of residual material. With the breach sealed and atmospheric conditions stabilized, the second 1,000-gallon tank was sealed at the damaged pipe connection, drained of its remaining 150 gallons of odorant, and prepared for decommissioning. The charred day tank was drained and decommissioned in parallel.
The full odorizer assembly — pump, panel, associated piping and tubing — was decommissioned and removed. The total recovered odorant, approximately 220 gallons, was transferred into appropriate containers for transport to incineration rather than reuse, given the unknown contamination state of material that had been through a fire event.
Site documentation captured the condition of each tank on MRR's arrival, the response sequence, the volumes recovered, the chain of custody for the recovered material, and the final disposition of each component of the damaged equipment.
Outcome
The full response — sealing, draining, decommissioning, equipment removal, and material disposition — was completed in four days on site. The damaged equipment left the site under proper hazardous materials documentation and was destroyed under controlled conditions. The customer received a complete incident response file covering the equipment condition, the response actions taken, and the final disposition of all material.
The customer’s insurance and regulatory follow-up proceeded on the foundation of a documented response performed by a contractor specialized in the substance involved. The site was returned in a condition that supported the rebuild work that followed.
MRR maintains 24-hour emergency response capability across North America. The work is not the bulk of what we do, but it is the work that defines what kind of partner we are. The Alabama call came in, and we were on site.
