The massive fire that broke out late last week at Caribbean Petroleum Corp.'s Bayamon refinery in the San Juan suburb of Cataño has been extinguished, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño said.

He said late Sunday that all the fuel tanks that caught fire at the refinery have been put out, although he added that firefighters will remain on the scene taking further measures to cool down the area over the next few days.

"The danger is over," said Fortuño after explaining that the fire's consequences for the environment have been practically nil, with the exception of "minor damage" to some wetlands near the refinery.

Residents throughout San Juan were wakened in the wee hours of Friday by an explosion at the refinery and two people were injured in the ensuing blaze.

Fortuño also said that the most recent analyses performed to determine air quality in the vicinity showed that the air in metropolitan San Juan is in good shape, with fewer suspended particles of contaminants than was the case on Saturday.

With regard to the supply of fuel, he emphasized that there will be no problems in that area, adding that there are sufficient reserves of gasoline and diesel fuel on hand to supply the U.S. commonwealth for 24 days.

The governor also noted that the island's international airports and main ports are fully functional.

Fortuño said that the FBI and Puerto Rican police are continuing their investigation into the fire, but he provided no details about the blaze's possible causes.

The chief of Puerto Rico's police force, Jose Figueroa Sancha, said he met Sunday with the heads of the company that owns the refinery who, in his words, showed complete willingness to help in the investigation.

Figueroa Sancha said that, in any case, the on-site investigation has not yet begun and that police units will enter the refinery only after the last of the firefighters still working there leaves.


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