Fire Erupts at Marathon Petroleum Refinery

A fire and chemical spill happened this morning at Marathon Petroleum Refinery in St. John the Baptist Parish, LA, reported local Louisiana news sources.

Refinery personnel and local emergency officials responded to the chemical spill and fire at a storage tank at the company’s Garyville refinery.

Louisiana residents within two miles of the plant were ordered to evacuate their homes.

A statement by Marathon Petroleum stated that "Marathon Petroleum personnel and local emergency responders are currently responding to a naphtha release and fire at a storage tank at the company’s Garyville, Louisiana, refinery."

The fire at the Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Garyville is still not under control, four hours after it started. Officials said it began before 7 a.m. local time. Large plumes of thick black smoke were seen bellowing out of the facility for much of the morning.

Hours later, Parish President Jaclyn Hotard issued an Emergency Declaration as well as a Mandatory Evacuation for those living within a two-mile radius of the refinery site.

No injuries were reported.

As a precaution, air monitoring has been deployed in the community.