Continuing aftershocks in Hokkaido sparked another fire at an oil refinery in Tomakomai on Sunday, while the search continued for people missing since the region was hit by massive earthquakes Friday.
A tank containing naphtha caught fire Sunday at Idemitsu Kosan Co.'s oil refinery in the southern Hokkaido city.
The fire broke out at 10:36 a.m. after vibrations from a series of earthquakes loosened the lid of the 30,000-kiloliter tank and some of the fluid leaked out, Idemitsu officials and firefighters said.
The refiner put retardants on the spill, but some of the naphtha apparently vaporized and caught fire when exposed to air, the firefighters said. Naphtha is a highly volatile liquid.