NuStar Tank Fire Emergency Over

RODEO, CA — Residents have the all-clear to return to their homes Tuesday night as a Shelter-in-Place has been lifted for Rodeo, Crockett and a portion of Hercules. A fire at the NuStar storage facility in Contra Costa County, which is adjacent to the Phillips 66 Oil Refinery in Rodeo, is out.

Interstate Highway 80 has reopened, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was closed from Highway 4 to the Carquinez Bridge during the evening commute.

The good news amidst the chaos — no deaths or injuries have been reported.

Earlier, petroleum-fed flames roared and thick plumes of black smoke soared high into the sky. Local, county and state firefighters converged on the scene, as did chemical fire specialists from the Petrochemical Mutual Aid Organization provided by Chevron, Shell, Marathon, Phillips and Corteva, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

The Shelter-in-Place order was issued from Rodeo to Crockett for "a hazardous materials emergency," as environment specialists monitored air quality. We are expected to learn more in the coming days about chemicals that were in the smoke-choked air.

Take a look at the video in the tweet below to see one of the explosions inside a tank —

Residents report hearing two explosions shortly before 2 p.m., going outside and seeing a plume of smoke coming from the facility. Two storage tanks partially filled with ethanol were destroyed, according to NuStar.

The tank fire started a grass fire that raced up the hill behind the storage tanks. It burned 15 acres, with Cal Fire joining the fight with air tanker retardant drops and helicopter water drops. Multiple agencies sent firefighters, trucks and at least one bulldozer to cut a fire line. The grass fire was out by 4 p.m., as a complete fire line continued to be cut around the perimeter.

Multiple roads had to be closed in the area to allow firefighters to work unimpeded.

While residents and agencies initially said that the fire was burning in Rodeo, the address of the NuStar facility is 90 San Pablo Ave. in Crockett. According to the company's website, the facility has 24 tanks with a total capacity of 3,042,000 barrels. Gasolines, diesel, aviation fuels, and ethanol are stored there.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

Also see:

NuStar Refinery Tank Fire Prompts Benicia Health Advisory

Earthquake Interrupts Martinez Refinery Operations