A fire and chemical leak occurred at a Marathon Petroleum refinery Friday in Louisiana, prompting officials to order evacuations for surrounding residents.
Crews in Garyville responded to the release of naphtha, a flammable liquid commonly used for gasoline or jet fuel, as well as a fire at a refinery storage tank, according to a Marathon Petroleum spokesperson cited by local outlet FOX8 Live.
As a precaution, residents within a two-mile radius of the refinery were ordered to evacuate, FOX8 reported. (RELATED: Video Shows Fire Grind Dulles International Airport To Halt After Police Injuries, Forcing Temporary Evacuations)
#UPDATE If you live in this two-mile radius of the Marathon Refinery in Garyville, you need to evacuate while crews put out a massive fire.
Shelters are open at:
– East St. John Prep
– East St. Jonh High
– West St. John High@FOX8NOLA pic.twitter.com/ntyyjkaWzV— Andrés Fuentes (@news_fuentes) August 25, 2023
“The release and fire are contained within the refinery’s property,” Marathon Petroleum said in a statement on Facebook, “and there have been no injuries.”
Schools in the surrounding area were either evacuated or followed a shelter-in-place order, according to a tweet from St. John the Baptist Parish Schools.
ESJ Prep Academy, Fifth Ward Elementary and ESJ High School have been placed under a shelter in place order due to a fire at Marathon Petroleum.
Riverside Academy has been evacuated to East St. John High School.
GMMS has been evacuated to Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School.
— St. John the Baptist Parish Schools (@SJBPS118) August 25, 2023
St. John Parish President Jaclyn Hotard issued an emergency declaration and mandatory evacuation Friday morning.
A massive explosion took place at a Sherwin-Williams paint plant in Garland, Texas, on Aug. 7. Locals said they could hear and feel the explosion from miles away. “I heard a loud boom, followed by multiple loud booms. I lost count at over 15. And big bellows of smoke from fireballs rising from the plant,” neighbor Jim Norris told NBCDFW News. The fire and explosion injured one employee, officials said. He was treated at the scene and transported to a local hospital.