No injuries have been reported.
August 25, 2023, 12:15 PM
Evacuations are underway in a Louisiana town following a chemical leak and a fire at a refinery, officials said.
Marathon Petroleum said crews are responding to a release of naphtha — a flammable liquid that can be used as fuel — and a fire at a storage tank at its refinery in Garyville, about 40 miles west of New Orleans.
Fire at Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Garyville, La. on Aug. 25, 2023.
WGNO
“The release and fire are contained within the refinery’s property and there have been no injuries,” Marathon Petroleum said in a statement.
“We’re doing everything possible to get the fire out,” a Marathon official said at a news conference.
Precautionary evacuations are mandatory for all residents in a two-mile radius, according to St. John the Baptist Parish officials.
Some area schools have been evacuated while others are under orders to shelter in place.
Parish president Jaclyn Hotard has issued an emergency declaration.