By Caroline Stauffer and Reese Ewing

SAO PAULO, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Up to a dozen containers carrying chemical substances caught fireplace at a terminal at Brazil’s largest port of Santos on Thursday, limiting ship motion, representatives of the port authority Codesp stated.

The fireplace on the container terminal operated by logistics firm Localfrio in Guaruja, on the jap aspect of Santos, began round 3 p.m. Brasilia time (1700 GMT) and continued into the night, sending plumes of smoke throughout the transport channel on the commodity exporting port.

The port authority stated in a press release it had stopped ships from docking at a terminal operated by Santos Brasil subsequent to Localfrio’s Alfandegado terminal due to smoke, however in any other case the port was working usually.

Santos Brasil additionally stated its operations had been stopped indefinitely.

A spokeswoman for Localfrio, which exports normal cargo in addition to chemical substances used for refrigeration, stated emergency measures had been in place and the terminal had been evacuated.

She stated the containers held chemical compound dichloroisocyanuric acid, not ammonium as native media initially reported.

Still, native Mayor Maria Antonieta de Breto, talking on Globo News, urged residents to remain inside with their home windows closed till extra was identified in regards to the gases unleashed.

Representatives at TEAG and TEG bulk sugar and grain terminals in Guaruja stated loading continued, as native tv confirmed firefighters sporting gasoline masks tackling flames that erupted when chemical substances blended with rain.

Fires have been widespread at Santos lately. A blaze at a neighboring gasoline tank facility in April took every week to snuff out, stopping vehicles from unloading soybeans.

The native fireplace division stated six vehicles had been within the space. Television station Globo News stated 39 individuals had sought medical consideration because of nausea and complications. (Writing by Caroline Stauffer; extra reporting by Juliana Schincariol in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Alan Crosby and Chris Reese)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.