The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-09
TWO KILLED,
0THERSHAVE
CL0SEC CALLS
Flames Have Ceased to
Spread, But Oil Will Burn
For Several Days
HOUSES ARE WRECKED
Artificial Wind Machines q
New Method of Fire
Fighting, Used

San Luis. Obispo, April 9.--tp -
Men today continued their two day
battle against flames that were con-
suming about 8,5OO,OOO barrels Of oil
stored by the Union Oil company on
two tank farms in California. The
fire near here apparently had ceased
to spread, but officials of the com
pany said IL would be three or four
days before the six million barrels
Of petroleum in the field were com
plctcly burned out.
At Brea, 25O miles southeast oi
here, 5000 men were battling the
flames to save three huge reservoirs
and number OF surface tanks that
were threatened.
The damage being done by the
fires was estimated ut $4,000, 900,
which officials said was largely COW
cred by insurance.
Explosion Kills Two
Two lives were claimed by the dis
aster here when reservoir explod-
cd yesterday. A miniature tornado,
generated by the heat, tore apart the
farm ho,ls occupied ~ the victims.
Along t.. length Of the two-nlilc
area, successive boiling over Of the
six great storage reservoirs Of from
10000 to 1850, 900 barrels each, and
the smaller surface tanks had spread
flames that destroyed farm houses
and lines Of trees from the lands
cape.
The village Of Edna. occupied prin-
cipally by the 400 employees of tho
company and their families, remain
~ed intact although windows were
shattered, and there was other cvi4
dcnce >of the force tof rtbe explosion
Of the oil containers
Parts Of the district appeared to-
day as if struck by a tornado. At
least two houses were wrecked. The
roof Of the one in which the two
persons met death was torn off, the
porchcs demolished. and the furni-
ture inside broken and scattered. The
barn was heap Of broken timbers,
but smaller building 100 feet near
er the fire was untouched. Telephone
poles and trees were blown down.
In the lee Of the burning reservoirs
there flowed waves of flames as the
reservoirs boiled over and erupted.
Dykes Thrown Up
The remainder Of the tank farm
lies to the windward, where it was
protected by the stiff breeze and by
dykes of sheet iron and earth. A
new method of fire fighting was
given trial when 20 artificial wind
machines were rushed to the tank
farm to keep the draft away from
the remainder Of the storage.
The fires were caused by lightning.
The Brea tank farms refining
plant and an unknown number Of
large gasoline and distillate tanks
late last night fell before flaming
wall OF fire that erupted from re-
scrvoir number 10, the most north
crn of the three burning.
Just prior to the overflow Of the
reservoir, q force Of between 200 and
800 men was working between the re-
filming plant and reservoir number
10 building the dyke. Without ~ m
ing the reservoir crupted and it was
only by super-human- efforts that
they out-distanced the rapidly moving
wave of flames.
So rapid was the advance Of the
burning oil that an ovcr-curious dog,
which was up near the edge Of the
reservoir when it overfl0wed, was
unable to escape. The animal at
tempted to out-distance the flames,
but was caught before it had travelled
very far.