Investigators are probing into the cause of the massive fuel barge explosion on Staten Island on Friday that left two people dead and another in critical condition.
Local, state and federal investigators are looking at all events before and after the explosion, official sources said.
Investigators were examining whether a malfunctioning pump might have caused the explosion, but they said it could take months to figure out what caused the blast.
Police said investigation was still in its preliminary stages but there were indications that a pump on board the barge may have malfunctioned while workers unloaded the fuel.
Coast Guard Captain Craig Bone said the focus of the operation at present has been on containment, and make sure that people are safe, accounted for, and there is no more fire and no more explosion.
Flames continued shooting from a pier on the petroleum transfer facility Saturday, a day after a barge exploded while unloading some 4 million gallons of gasoline at the Staten Island facility.
Two barge workers were killed and one ExxonMobil employee was in critical condition with third-degree burns.
After the blast, thick, black smoke spewed into the sky and could be seen up to 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) away. The Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working with the coast guard to ensure water quality in the area around the scene of explosion.
The Department of Environmental Conservation used an EPA vessel to monitor the water Saturday. Officials said they believe the majority of the gasoline burned off. The ExxonMobil spill control teams are also working to contain the remaining fuel.
Fire department officials said they expected to put out the fire by Saturday afternoon. There were earlier media reports that the fire had been extinguished by Friday afternoon.
(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2003)
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