Two workers were critically injured yesterday afternoon when a fire broke out at the Delaware City Refinery in New Castle, Delaware.
Delaware City Refinery Fire Erupted on Alkylation Unit
The March 11th fire erupted shortly after 1:30 p.m., creating a huge plume of thick black smoke that could be seen for miles. According to media reports, the blaze occurred on the facility’s alkylation unit as workers prepared for an annual maintenance shut-down.
Although New Castle County fire crews were not called in to support Delaware City Refinery personnel, ambulances and medevac helicopters did respond to the incident.
Injured Refinery Workers Taken to Crozer Burn Center
Two workers suffered burns in the fire and were rushed to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. Both were subsequently transferred to the Crozer Burn Center in Pennsylvania.
So far, authorities have not identified the victims or commented on their current condition. It’s also not clear if they worked for the Delaware City Refinery or an outside contractor.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is investigating the incident and working to assess any environmental impacts.
About the Delaware City Refinery
The Delaware City Refinery is currently owned by the Delaware City Refining Corporation, a subsidiary of PBF Energy. The facility employs around 570 people and has a refining capacity of 182,200 barrels per day.
Unfortunately, this appears to be the Delaware City Refinery’s third serious incident in just the past two years. The first occurred in October 2018, when three contractors suffered serious facial burns and other injuries while performing equipment maintenance at the plant. Delaware City Refinery management later attributed that accident to the “release of heated product under pressure.”
Nearly a year ago, a fire at the same facility sent more than 6,000 pounds of potentially toxic pollutants into the air. While the blaze continued to burn for more than 12 hours, no one was injured during that incident.
Just last week, state regulators levied a $70,000 fine against the Delaware City Refinery for two pollution releases that occurred in 2017 and 2018.
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