Marathon Petroleum Reports Fire, Evacuations at Garyville, La., Oil Refinery

Marathon Petroleum reported a fire Friday at its Garyville, La. oil refinery, and said there have been no injuries but said residents living near the plant were ordered to evacuate to safety.

"Marathon Petroleum personnel and local emergency responders continue responding to a naphtha release and fire at a storage tank at the company's Garyville, Louisiana, refinery," Marathon said in an emailed statement.

Local television footage showed at least two massive storage tanks fully engulfed in fire, with flames and thick black smoke shooting several stories into the air while two water cannons within the plant tried to douse the flames.

Marathon said the leak of naphtha, a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture, and the fire itself are contained within the refinery's property.

"As a precautionary measure, St. John the Baptist Parish is requiring residents within a two-mile radius of the part of the refinery closest to the fire to temporarily evacuate to locations the Parish is making available," the refinery said.

The Garyville refinery is located along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and according to Marathon's website, the plant has a crude oil refining capacity of 596,000 barrels per calendar day.

Write to Dan Molinski at dan.molinski@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 25, 2023 13:20 ET (17:20 GMT)

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