PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Delaware County residents within a half-mile of the Monroe Energy refinery were under a shelter-in-place order on Thursday as crews worked to put out a fire there.
A fire broke out inside a process unit pump room on Post Road in Trainer around 11:30 a.m.
Firefighters from across the river in Logan Township, New Jersey, responded. The Paulsboro Refinery Fire Department also came out and worked with officials in Delaware County.
As of 3 p.m., the air is clear and the fire is under control, but for hours, black smoke could be seen pouring from the facility for miles. One employee suffered a burn injury and was airlifted to a hospital. They sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to be OK. Two others suffered heat stress-related injuries, according to a spokesperson from the county's communications and public affairs.
William Dickerson has worked at the plant for many years. He said they train for these emergencies all the time, but when the real thing happens, it still catches you by surprise.
“We just saw the smoke, and it was a little more than usual. We have startups, and you’ll see smoke every now and then, but this was real thick and a lot, and they advised us to evacuate.”
What caused the fire at the Delta Airlines-owned refinery is not yet known. An investigation is underway.
