Actually I am quite familiar with reclaiming gold that way. There was about 22 tons of nitric acid on the ship, supposedly. The concentrated acid reacts violently with water. So we don't know how the fire started or how the acid was stored, but if the acid leaked it would go through steel, or if there is bilge water that could also explode. We also don't know what other chemicals were on board that could have contributed. The problem is there is a lot of fishing in that area, and coral formations along the coast south, tourist diving and boating--not a good place for any chemical spill.