Fire from eight Enbridge sweet crude storage tanks raged on this morning 9 miles north of Alexander, but no injuries were reported.
The fire started around 9:25 p.m. Thursday, according to McKenzie County Emergency Manager Jerry Samuelson.
"It's still burning out there. Eight tanks are engulfed in flames. Four others are adjacent to them," Samuelson said. "The Alexander Fire Department is hosing those down. They're pouring water on them constantly."
Samuelson said firefighters were letting the fire burn itself out, although he couldn't say when the blaze would end.
"There are 980 barrels of crude in eight tanks and 1,200 barrels in the other four," said Samuelson, adding that no homes are near the immediate range of the fire. No injuries have been reported.
Samuelson said the fire could have been caused by electrical problems when a semi was unloading more crude, but that hasn't been confirmed.
He said portions of Highway 85 and McKenzie County Highway were closed Thursday evening, but were re-opened this morning.
"Most of the crude is being burned off," said Samuelson, who listed the Williston Rural Fire Department, the Arnegard Fire Department, the Watford City Police Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol as assisting at the scene.
The McKenzie County Sheriff's Department is continueing to keep the area secure.
Samuelson said nearby pipelines have been secured to prevent further fire issues.
The state Health Department officials were en route to investigate the scene and to mitigate any potential environmental hazards, and the the state Department of Emergency Services has been notified, according to Samuelson.
"It appears the tanks have some containment," said Karl Rockeman, director of the Water Quality Division of the state Health Department. "We'll see if it reaches any waterways and evaulate it for any groundwater contamination. There isn't generally a lot of groundwater in that area. It's pretty deep down."
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