Fire, 3 explosions rock Philadelphia refinery

PHILADELPHIA — A fire and explosions at the largest oil refinery on the East Coast sent a massive fireball into the sky and shook nearby homes before dawn Friday, though authorities reported only a few minor injuries.

The blaze broke out at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex around 4 a.m., spokeswoman Cherice Corley said. News and amateur video showed the fireball bursting into the sky about 20 minutes later.

Nearby residents were asked to stay inside, and roads around the complex were closed.

Aerial footage from early afternoon showed most of the flames appeared to be extinguished but firefighters were still working the scene.

Five refinery workers were treated for minor injuries.

The cause of the fire was still unclear. Corley said three explosions, felt for miles away, went off as the fire worked its way through pipes carrying fuel across the complex. It happened at the Girard Point refinery, one of two at the PES complex in southern Philadelphia.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said the blaze started in a tank that holds a mix of propane and butane and that the flames are being fed by a main but that it’s not safe for workers to access the valve to shut it off.

He added that it’s safer to burn off the fuel rather than fully extinguish the blaze, because the gases would still be flowing into the atmosphere.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions says the 150-year-old oil refining complex processes 335,000 barrels of crude oil daily. The refinery turns the crude into gasoline, jet fuel, propane, home heating oil and other products.

It was the second blaze at the refinery this month. Noone was injured in a June 10 fire.