A fire at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John prompted an emergency response on Monday morning.
The Saint John Fire Department (SJFD) responded to reports of a product leak that ignited around 9:15 a.m., according to the city.
“Working in close coordination with the refinery’s emergency response team, the SJFD assisted in containing and [extinguishing] the fire,” Lisa Kennedy, director of external relations, said in an email to our newsroom around 10 a.m. Monday.
“The situation is now under control, and SJFD crews will be leaving the facility shortly. No injuries have been reported, and there is no threat to the surrounding community.”
Photos on social media showed thick black smoke coming from the facility located on the city’s east side.
A spokesperson for Irving Oil would only say that it was an “operational incident” that led to their emergency alarm being activated.
“The situation was isolated, contained and operations are normal,” Katherine d’Entremont said in an email to our newsroom.
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Local Government said they were notified of the fire on Monday morning.
“Staff have been onsite and confirmed that the fire has been extinguished. The department continues to investigate the incident,” Vicky Lutes wrote in an email to our newsroom.
The site of black smoke likely brought flashbacks for many Saint John residents after a major incident at the refinery back in 2018.
As many as 3,000 workers were at the refinery when an explosion rocked the city on Thanksgiving Monday. Most were taking part in the refinery’s annual turnaround project.
Several workers were treated in the hospital for minor injuries. Hours after, the company said there was a malfunction in a diesel-treating unit, which removes sulfur from diesel.
Irving Oil’s Saint John refinery is the largest in Canada and can process up to 320,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

