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There are reports of a very serious fire at the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John in the New Brunswick area of Canada. There are reportedly huge plumes of black smoke and flames coming from the refinery. Irving Oil Refinery is the largest refinery in Canada.
Irving Oil confirmed the explosion on Twitter:
“We can confirm that a major incident has occurred at our Saint John refinery this morning. We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available.”
At this time, no injuries or fatalities have been reported. While emergency response crews are on the scene, it is not clear how many units are there.
Residents are being asked to avoid the area and nearby streets have also been closed. Saint Joint police tweeted that the following streets have been closed: Loch Lomond at Commerce, Grandview at Champlain, Grandview at Bayside, and Loch Lomond at Macdonald.
According to the CBC, many residents reported an explosion and fire at the Irving oil refinery in Saint John on Monday morning.
Nearby resident Bob McVicar posted on Facebook saying that it felt like a “bed-shaking explosion.”
The Irving Oil Refinery is a Canadian oil refinery located in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is currently the largest oil refinery in Canada, capable of producing more than 300,000 barrels of refined products per day.
The refinery is owned and operated by Irving Oil Limited Refining Division, which is a subsidiary company of Irving Oil Ltd. Irving Oil is wholly owned by Fort Reliance Company Ltd., a holding company owned by Arthur Irving and his family; it is considered part of the Irving Group of Companies.
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