ENOC and Dubai Civil Defense investigate petrol station incident

The management of ENOC Group launched a critical incident investigation after the fire that broke out in one of the company’s petrol stations in Al Twar area in Dubai on Saturday 30th May at approximately 12:00 noon.

In coordination with Dubai Civil Defense Authority, the fire was extinguished in approximately 10 minutes without any injuries as evacuation of staff and customers was undertaken promptly and effectively.  

Initial review of CCTV footage indicates that the fire was most likely caused by a faulty car that was refueling. A team of trained staff along with Dubai Civil Defense spared no efforts in trying to douse the fire using DCP extinguishers and were able to control the damage at the dispenser, car and canopy side. Best-in-class Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) measures including high quality passive fire designs and auto shut off and emergency response systems prevented the fire from spreading outside the refueling area.

ENOC’s health, safety and environment practice are recognised by emergency response authorities such as Dubai Civil Defense citing the high proficiency of the company’s passive and active evacuation systems and praising construction and safety design standards for its retail stations. The HSE team participates in regular design reviews and emergency response planning and drills with the concerned authorities reinforced by periodic emergency drills and staff trainings.

ENOC Group confirmed that the safety of its customers and employees is a top priority and it will continue investigating the incident in close coordination with Dubai Civil Defense and a fully qualified team from ENOC’s HSE department.

ENOC Group Environment Health and Safety (GEHS) department has put together a few tips for the safety of customers while refuelling at petrol stations:

1.    Safety tips while refueling:

• Switch off your vehicle engine before refueling.
• Do not open the hood of the car while refueling. In case of car engine failure seek support of staff to push the car to a safer location.
• Do not wait until your vehicle fuel tank is nearly empty to refuel but you should keep 25% of the tank full all the time during summer
• Do not smoke within the premises of  petrol stations.
• Avoid using your mobile phone while refueling your vehicle.
• Do not leave your vehicle while refueling and don’t leave children unattended inside the car.
• Watch for pedestrians while entering and exiting the petrol stations.

2.    Common factors that cause accidents at site:

• Car engine overheating leading to fire: In 2015 so far, we have already had 10 fire accidents due to this reason.
• Fuel overflow, leading to spills (which can cause fire): This is very common in summer where the Nozzle sensor fails to shut-off automatically causing overflow and spills.
• Smoking & Cigarette induced fires: caused by throwing cigarette buds in the waste bins.
• Personal injuries: mainly due to traffic accidents within the forecourt area and mainly affecting our staff.