| Firefighters contained a blaze Monday caused by an | | | | Cartier said he felt the blast and could see the flames |
| overnight explosion at a Delaware oil refinery that | | | | from his home at least three miles from the refinery. |
| rattled nearby homes but caused no injuries. | | | | "It was almost like seismic," he told The (Wilmington) |
| A fireball from the blast at Sunoco Inc.'s Marcus Hook | | | | News Journal. "My house was rocked. It was a big |
| facility lit up the sky Sunday night. Fire trucks sprayed | | | | large boom." |
| down flames shooting high into the air at the complex | | | | At one point, up to 50 firefighters from Delaware and |
| straddling the Delaware/Pennsylvania border. | | | | Pennsylvania were at the scene. |
| The fire was under control at midday Monday, Sunoco | | | | Sunoco investigators and the Delaware state fire |
| Inc. spokesman Thomas Golembeski said. | | | | marshal will determine what caused the explosion, |
| "The fire is still burning, but it's getting smaller and | | | | which occurred at the refinery's ethylene complex. |
| weakening," he said. | | | | Ethylene is a feed stock used in the production of |
| The company won't be able to assess the extent of | | | | plastics. |
| the damage until it is safe to go in to the area. | | | | Golembeski said the explosion and fire was contained |
| Alan Brown, chief deputy fire marshal for the state, | | | | to the ethylene unit and did not affect an adjacent |
| said an investigation to determine the cause of the | | | | chemical plant that makes polypropylene, a tough |
| blast is under way, but it will probably be a couple of | | | | plastic used for food containers and molded auto |
| days before any preliminary findings are made. | | | | parts, among many other items. The ethylene unit has |
| Authorities and company officials said no injuries were | | | | been shut down. |
| reported and no evacuations of surrounding | | | | But some refining production in other units was |
| neighborhoods were ordered. | | | | affected, and he said the company was working with |
| The 781-acre complex ranks 39th by total production | | | | two of its upriver refineries -- at Philadelphia and |
| out of the nation's 150 operating refineries, according to | | | | Westville, N.J. -- to "optimize production" and meet |
| the U.S. Department of Energy. While the blast hit an | | | | customer demands. |
| area that makes a chemical used in plastics, | | | | "We have excess capacity at the other refineries, so |
| Golembeski said gasoline production at the refinery will | | | | we can ramp up a little bit," Golembeski said. |
| be affected as well. | | | | He could not specify how much production was |
| "There has been some production impact to other | | | | affected at the facility, which has the capacity to |
| units in the refinery ... I can't quantify it at this point," he | | | | process about 175,000 barrels of sweet crude oil per |
| said. | | | | day into various petroleum products, including gasoline, |
| Experts say there is plenty of gasoline supply | | | | jet fuel and home heating oil. The Philadelphia refinery |
| nationwide because Americans are driving much less | | | | can process about 330,000 barrels per day, and the |
| in the recession. | | | | New Jersey refinery has a capacity of 150,000 barrels |
| All workers at the plant have been accounted for, | | | | per day. |
| Golembeski said. | | | | The refinery adjoins an international seaport and |
| The refinery was still open Monday morning and some | | | | operates around the clock seven days a week with |
| production employees were reporting to work. | | | | about 700 employees. It refines oil primarily from fields |
| Golembeski said the company was monitoring air | | | | in the North Sea and West Africa. |
| quality every hour and the readings indicated that "the | | | | Quoting and Saving on your health insurance has |
| situation is safe." | | | | never been easier. |
| New Castle County, Del., county councilman John | | | | |