Irving Oil was the scene of a “bed-shaking” explosion this holiday Monday morning, in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The largest oil refinery in Canada, was in shutdown mode, but that meant some 2,500 contract employees were on site for major maintenance.
What’s described as a “malfunction of the diesel-treating unit” sent flames and a black plume of smoke soaring into the air above the city around 10 am, local time.
The site was evacuated and of the 3,000 people at work at the time, many of them fleeing in a panic, only five suffered minor injuries.
They were all released from hospital later this afternoon.
“We’re very grateful and being Thanksgiving I think it’s appropriate”, one of the spokesmen for Irving told reporters at a news conference.
A “major incident”
The explosion was heard as far as 20 kilometres away, and many described it first as an earthquake, as the ground trembled.
Officials at Irving called it a “major incident”. The company, owned by the Irving family, is the major employer in the region with 1,400 regular employees.
It has a capacity of producing more than 320,000 barrels per day.
Irving Oil storage tanks are seen at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, N.B. on Aug. 8, 2013. (CP/Andrew Vaughan)
The fire was extinguished and the black smoke has subsided. The city is beginning to return to normal, but authorities are advising people to stay in their homes.
Saint John’s district fire chief, Mike Carr, said no air quality issues are evident, other than the lingering smoke from the fire, but air quality monitoring is ongoing.
This evening’s shift has the night off as the company begins it’s incident report and safety check.
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