Poorly grounded equipment blamed for 2019 California ethanol tank explosions

In California, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reports a multiagency report shows the 2019 explosions of the ethanol storage tanks at the NuStar facility at in Crockett was a likely the result of poorly grounded equipment, causing a “static discharge or ignition charge”. The tanks held more than 250,000 gallons of ethanol and created a fireball that blasted into the sky as a result of the explosions. The report urged greater oversight of the 16 storage tank facilities located in Contra Costa County where the explosions took place.