PHILADELPHIA – Explosions and a blaze at the largest oil refinery on the East Coast sent a fireball into the sky and shook homes before dawn Friday, though authorities reported only a few minor injuries and said the air was safe to breathe.
The fire at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex was deemed contained and controlled but continued to burn late Friday afternoon, said Craig Murphy, deputy fire commissioner.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m., PES spokeswoman Cherice Corley said. Video showed the enormous orange blast bursting into the sky about 20 minutes later.
The cause of the fire was still unclear. Three explosions, felt miles away, went off as the fire worked its way through the tangle of pipes carrying fuel across the complex, Corley said. It happened at the Girard Point refinery, one of two at the PES complex in southern Philadelphia. (AP)
