The Equinor plant is located in Aure, north of Kristiansund, and consists of three factories: a methanol plant, a gas reception plant and an air gas plant.
The methanol factory is the largest in Europe. When the fire broke out, both the air gas plant and the methanol plant were shut down, according to Equinor.
The fire is said to have started in a larger compressor building, according to operator Paul Ola Veste at the 110 exchange. The industrial protection at the plant first started extinguishing itself. Eventually, police, several fire engines and ambulances, and an air ambulance helicopter from Trondheim arrived at the scene.
– It was confusing at first, but as the industrial protection and management on site gained control of all crews, and all came out without lasting harm. They had been outside, but they had gotten away, he says.
WATCH VIDEO: Here it burns at Equinor’s facility Tjeldbergodden. Photo: Stein Tranvik
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Several evacuees: – There was a danger of explosion
The fire started at 14.40 and was extinguished at 15.40, according to Equinor. Several of their employees were evacuated during the fire. Production at the plant was also stopped.
– All personnel in the area have been evacuated. It is about 30 pieces. They are out of the construction area and no one has been reported injured, said spokesman Morten Eek in Equinor, this morning.
The fire brigade was notified that there was a danger of an explosion.
– There were a number of gases that were dangerous and there was a danger of explosion, says Vestre in the fire service.
The danger of explosion disappeared when Equinor followed its procedures and shut down the plant. Vestre said at around 4 pm that the fire brigade was putting out the fire.
– There is always a danger that a fire will flare up again. Now they are engaged in post-extinguishing, cooling and ventilation. I would probably think that they do a good job and make sure that everything is off, but there is always a potential danger that things may flare up again, he says.
Heard loud bangs
A man fishing outside says he heard a loud bang.
– I heard a loud bang. We also saw that it started to burn out of a gas pipe. Now there is black smoke 150 meters down towards the sea. Alarms are also full, said Geir Hermansstad, who is a fisherman right outside the facility.
The fire service does not know the cause of the fire.
HERE: Here is Equinor’s facility on Tjeldbergodden. The fire started at 14.40 and 15.40 when the fire was extinguished.
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Burned in September at another facility
In September, it also burned down another Equinor plant. The fire on Melkøya outside Hammerfest is described as one of the most serious events in Norwegian petroleum history.
The fire has caused burns to one of the plant’s five power turbines. Large amounts of seawater from the extinguishing work also damaged other auxiliary systems, such as electrical equipment and cables in the plant.
Equinor estimated in October that it will take up to 12 months before it happens again produced natural gas on Melkøya.
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