Libya warns of disaster as Tripoli oil stores burn out of control

The Libyan government warned Monday of a potential 'human and environmental disaster' as two fuel tanks at an oil depot near Tripoli airport burned out of control amid fighting between rival militias.
In statements published on its website, the interim government called on residents living within three kilometers of the Brega Oil and Gas Company's depot to leave the area.
The government demanded that militias and their rivals halt their two-week-long struggle for control of the airport and surrounding area.
Local firefighters had been unable to extinguish the blaze despite exhausting their supplies of water and had left the scene, dpa reported.
The fire began overnight when a rocket hit a container with 6.6 million liters of fuel. Overall, the tankers in the warehouse contain 90 million liters of fuel.
ca