PHILADELPHIA: Fire ripped through a Pennsylvania oil refinery early yesterday, triggering a huge explosion that local media said rocked homes several miles away.
Video footage showed the 335,000-barrels-per-day Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, where another fire broke out 11 days ago, engulfed in flames.
There were no immediate reports of casualties at the complex, which NBC Philadelphia said employs around 1,000 people. It quoted officials as saying the fire had been contained.
The crude section at the Girard Point portion of the refinery was shut down due to the fire, intelligence provider Genscape said.
Philadelphia Energy Solutions spokespeople were not immediately available for comment.
Nearby roads were closed and thick smoke blanketed most of central and south Philadelphia, NBC Philadelphia said.
“Philadelphia Fire Department is asking residents and businesses east of the fire location in south Philadelphia to shelter in place until further notice,” the City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management said in a tweet. – Reuters
