Irving Oil Corp’s Saint John refinery in the Canadian province of New Brunswick was shut on Monday morning after a fire, with local media photos showing smoke billowing from the complex.
The company said it was dealing with a “major incident” at the 320,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Local residents reported hearing an explosion and seeing a fire, according to local media.
This happening right now, massive explosion and fire at Irving oil refinery. pic.twitter.com/tucyb5K65S
— Ian Hutchison (@saintjohn601) October 8, 2018
“We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available,” Irving said in a statement. The company did not respond to a request for further comment.
Energy intelligence service Genscape reported the plant was being shut due to a fire.
“The fire appears to have occurred near the catalytic reformer. However, it’s possible the fire could be in the foreground or the background of the unit,” Genscape reported.
The crude section, catalytic reformer and a cogeneration unit were shut following the incident, Genscape reported, adding that multiple units were already offline for maintenance.
Over one-half of the finished products from the refinery are exported to the U.S. Northeast, according to Irving’s website.
Reports of the fire sparked a rally in futures in refined products; gasoline was up about 2 percent following the reports.