3 injured in fire at Trainer Refinery in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania; shelter-in-place lifted
A shelter-in-place in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, has been lifted after a fire at an oil refinery along the Delaware River left three people injured Thursday.
The fire at Trainer Refinery, which Monroe Energy owns, was placed under control around 1:30 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the oil refinery and Delaware County. It started around 12:15 p.m. at the refinery on the 4100 block of Post Road.
The shelter-in-place for residents within a half-mile radius of the Trainer Refinery was lifted at 3:15 p.m., and cleanup efforts are now underway.
One person suffered a burn injury and was airlifted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, a spokesperson said. Their condition isn't known at this time. Two other people suffered "heat stress-related injuries" and are expected to be OK.
A spokesperson for Delaware County said air quality monitoring hasn't found any unsafe levels in the area of the refinery.
The Delaware County Department of Emergency Services is responding to the fire.
When the fire started at Trainer Refinery, a tall plume of smoke could be seen from several miles away.
Anastasia Dudson, who lives in sight of the massive refinery, said she and her dog were not taking any chances.
"I left when I saw the smoke," Dudson said.
Jim Collevechio works at a fire suppression company next to the refinery.
"I was coming down 291 and I seen it," he said. "Probably around Boeing, and then I got closer, and once I got to the shop here I saw across the street it was just a giant black ball of smoke."
Dudson said she's been living in the area for 12 years and remembers only leaving once before due to an incident at the refinery.
"It's always a fear of the leaks, the smell, the flame thing shoots out in the air of the middle of the night, and you're not sure what that it is," Dudson said. "It sounds like an explosion, so it's always a fear."
Earlier Thursday afternoon, the borough of Marcus Hook is asking residents to avoid the area.
Towns across the river in New Jersey are currently not impacted by smoke, but are monitoring conditions.
"Winds are currently in our favor in Gloucester County, however conditions are subject to change," Gloucester County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post.
