Louisiana fire crews were able to contain the massive fire at a Marathon Petroleum refinery after authorities ordered evacuations for people near the area.
The fire at the refinery storage tank in Garyville, Louisiana, prompted evacuation orders on Friday morning within a two-mile radius around the facility. St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard lifted the order in the afternoon.
Marathon Petroleum Refinery Fire Under Control
In a statement, the parish noted that the fire was already under control but still burning and has remained within the common containment-dike area of two tanks on the refinery's property. It added that both tanks had sustained damage because of the massive blaze.
The parish also said that an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident. Marathon Petroleum Corporation issued a statement saying that the fire was contained to the refinery's property and noted that one firefighter was being evaluated for possible heat stress, as per CNN.
During a news conference on Friday, a human resources manager for Marathon, Justin Lawrence, said the tank itself was not on fire. They noted that the blaze was burning around the perimeter of the tank.
Lawrence said that the product housed inside the tank is naphtha, a partially refined product that the company uses as components to make gasoline. He revealed that the product surrounding the tank was on fire.
He said that initially, it was a lazy flame and noted that they were putting foam on the blaze to keep its fumes and the fire down in an attempt to keep it contained. However, as it picked up the next morning and the day got hotter, the fire reignited, and some spots were even more difficult to control.
Lifting of Evacuation Orders
Additionally, some area schools were ordered to evacuate while others were told to shelter in place as the fire at the refinery continued to burn. In a statement, Marathon Petroleum also said that the facility started the shutdown process of units that were closest to the fire, according to ABC News.
Images from above showed orange flames leaping into the air beneath the dark cloud of smoke while emergency crews could be seen spraying long arcs of water onto the blaze. During a news conference, Hotard said evacuation orders were made to ensure residents were safe.
He said the alarming situation and noted that he understood residents' concerns. Hotard urged residents to take the evacuation orders seriously if there were impacts outside the refinery's property, said the Associated Press.
Marathon Petroleum said in a statement that its main priority in fighting against the fire was the safety of its employees and contractors, as well as those of its neighbors in the surrounding community and first responders, and to limit the flames' environmental impact. Lawrence argued that their current focus was to extinguish the fire as soon as possible completely.
