On Monday, April 10, 2006 at 9:31 AM, seven Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, four LAFD Rescue Ambulances, one Heavy Rescue, two Urban Search and Rescue Units, one Hazardous Materials Team, one Helicopter, one EMS Battalion Captain, two Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and one Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Jeffrey A. Marcus responded to a Confined Space Rescue incident at 1660 West Anaheim Street in Wilmington.

First units on the scene were met by employees of "ConocoPhillips Petroleum" directing them to five workers that had escaped from the inside of a tank where a Floating Roof had collapsed injuring the workers.

At the time of the collapse, the workers were installing steel in the flooring of the tank that was fifty five feet high and one hundred twenty five feet long.

The Floating Roof was approximately seven feet above the workers when they heard sounds that were indicative of a possible imminent collapse.

As they attempted to escape through a side door of the tank, the Floating Roof collapsed causing one twenty-five year old male worker to be critically injured, that worker was subsequently pronounced dead at the hospital.

Of the four other male workers, ages 25-40, three of them suffered minor to moderate injuries to their lower extremities and one suffered serious trauma to his neck,
back and legs.

All five escaped from the tank prior to the the arrival of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The victims were were transported to Harbor UCLA Medical Center.

ConocoPhillips and CAL-OSHA Officials are investigating the incident.

Reported by Jim Wells, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department