May 18, 2009 11:38 pm US/Eastern
Probe Continues Into Sunoco Explosion, Fire
MARCUS HOOK, Pa (CBS3/AP) ―
Officials are investigating the cause of a massive explosion and subsequent fire at a Sunoco Inc. oil refinery on the Delaware River Sunday evening.
A Sunoco company official said the fire was put out completely late Monday evening.
Residents in the Marcus Hook area began reporting hearing explosions from the refinery just before 10 p.m. Sunday.
Officials confirmed an explosion did occur at the ethylene plant on the Sunoco compound in New Castle County, Delaware.
Company spokesman Thomas Golembeski says all workers were accounted for and that the company is monitoring air conditions every hour. He says readings indicate the situation is safe for the surrounding area.
Officials said the fire was contained to the Delaware side of the Delaware-Pennsylvania border and no evacuations were necessary in either state although some residents in Delaware voluntary evacuated as a precaution.
An EPA report says the frontage of the refinery extends approximately 4,800 feet along the northern banks of the Delaware River. The facility is bordered by industrial land use and commercial/residential properties.
"Everything is contained on site, which means there is no environmental impact that folks will have to be concerned within this general vicinity," Delaware State Police Cpl. Jeffrey Whitmarsh said.
The amount of damage to the refinery's ethylene unit is not yet known. Golembeski said Monday morning the company was working with its two other refineries upriver in Philadelphia and Westville, N.J. to meet customer demands.
The 781-acre complex ranks 39th by total production out of the nation's 150 operating refineries, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While the blast hit an area that makes a chemical used in plastics, Golembeski said gasoline production at the refinery will be affected as well.
"There has been some production impact to other units in the refinery ... I can't quantify it at this point," he said.
Experts say there is plenty of gasoline supply nationwide because Americans are driving much less in the recession.
Alan Brown, chief deputy fire marshal for the state, said an investigation to determine the cause of the blast is under way, but it will probably be a couple of days before any preliminary findings are made.
A Sunoco representative attended a meeting Monday evening to discuss the fire with concerned residents. The meeting was held at the Municipal Building in Linwood, Lower Chichester.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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