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Key pointsAn out-of-control fire and a series of explosions broke out at Viva Energy\u2019s oil refinery in Corio overnight.The refinery, in Geelong\u2019s north, is one of two in Australia and can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.Production of petrol, diesel and jet fuel has been temporarily slashed, adding to concerns about Australia\u2019s fuel supplies amid the ongoing energy crisis.Workers were forced to flee from \u201ca bloody big fireball\u201d when the fire erupted. No injuries were reported.The fire\u2019s intensity has reduced but is estimated to burn for the remainder of the morning.<\/p>\n
A major fire has engulfed the Geelong oil refinery that is one of only two in Australia, adding pressure to the country\u2019s fuel stocks that are already in short supply due to the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The blaze at the Viva Energy refinery in Corio broke out just after 11pm on Wednesday, triggering explosions and sending a cloud of smoke towards Geelong.<\/p>\n
The fire continued to burn out of control on Thursday morning, severely damaging the facility that supplies 50 per cent of Victoria\u2019s fuel and 10 per cent of Australia\u2019s fuel.<\/p>\n
A company source, granted anonymity as they were not yet authorised to speak, said the fire had damaged two of the refinery\u2019s gasoline production units.<\/p>\n
Viva Energy ramped up production recently after Donald Trump\u2019s war against Iran led to the Islamic Republic closing the Strait of Hormuz, sparking global fears of fuel shortages.<\/p>\n
But the Geelong refinery has now temporarily cut its output of petrol, diesel and jet fuel down to \u201cminimum rates\u201d following the major fire damage.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fire Rescue Victoria\u2019s assistant chief fire officer Mick McGuinness described the refinery blaze as \u201cquite ferocious\u201d and said it started in the plant\u2019s Mogas section, which helps produce high-octane fuels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a significant leak of liquid hydrocarbons and gases that have fuelled the fire,\u201d McGuinness told reporters just after 8am.<\/p>\n
He said about 50 firefighters and 10 firefighting vehicles \u2013 including FRV\u2019s boat in Corio Bay \u2013 fought the blaze, which was contained to an area about 30 metres by 30 metres. There are no reports of injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d estimate at least another four to five hours of fire to be burning,\u201d McGuiness said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we are starting to see a drop-off in the intensity of the fire, which is indicating that the pressures are reducing, and we\u2019re getting less flow of the liquids and the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added authorities did not yet know what caused the fire as investigators had not been able to access where the blaze started, but said Viva operators had detected a gas leak that quickly grew.<\/p>\n
Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed the fire would impact petrol production at the refinery, which can process up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Viva\u2019s website, which equates to about 380,000 tanks of fuel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, production of jet fuel and diesel is continuing at the refinery at reduced levels for safety reasons as a precaution,\u201d Bowen told Nine\u2019s Today on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, the impact is mainly on petrol production, but obviously, this is very early days.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were dozens of workers at the Viva plant when the fire started, and union representatives are relieved it didn\u2019t happen at a busier time of the day.<\/p>\n
Tony Hynds, an organiser with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, joined dozens of others on the scene outside Viva on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been told there were about 30 people on the site, most of them operators,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the first explosion happened they had to take off and get out of there pretty quickly. I\u2019ve been told there was a small explosion and then two large ones, and then a large fireball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian Workers Union secretary Ronnie Hayden, who was on the scene on Thursday morning, described the scene as like a \u201cwar zone\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome [workers] were pretty close to it, but they managed to run to get away from it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey said it was like \u2018a big bloody fireball coming straight for us\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viva Energy\u2019s plant in Geelong has been underwritten by significant government support to secure Australia\u2019s two remaining refineries.<\/p>\n
The federal government in March boosted its Fuel Security Services Payment, which kicks in during loss-making periods.<\/p>\n
Viva has said the scheme, introduced in 2021, allowed it to spend $500 million upgrading the Geelong refinery.<\/p>\n
Bowen said the facility would \u201ctake some time to repair\u201d and production had been reduced as a precaution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a positive development, but obviously, there\u2019s a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is. Our advice remains to people: buy as much fuel as you need, no more, no less,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
McGuinness, FRV\u2019s assistant chief fire officer, said some flames were up to 60 metres in height.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fire went from a small fire through several explosions to being quite a large, intense fire,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Some residents near the Viva plant in Corio woke up last night to their houses rattling and an ominous red glow on the horizon.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum rang me at quarter past 11 and asked me to step outside and look at what was happening,\u201d said Melanie, who spoke to The Age outside a nearby childcare centre on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear bangs when they are doing burn-offs, but last night was different. We heard the sirens and I saw massive plumes of smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another resident who didn\u2019t want to be identified said they were woken up about 1am.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in bed, and I was wondering why everything was rattling and shaking,\u201d they said. \u201cThe whole backyard was lit up red.\u201d<\/p>\n
A warning was issued for dozens of suburbs just after 2am when a wind change blew smoke from the blaze towards Geelong.<\/p>\n
Thousands of residents were told to close their doors and windows, and turn off their heating and cooling systems.<\/p>\n
The warning area was downgraded shortly before 5.30am and contained to the suburbs of Corio, Norlane and North Shore, which directly surround the fire.<\/p>\n
McGuiness, from FRV, said the elevated warning was precautionary.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur specialist hazmat technicians were able to determine there were no contaminants whatsoever \u2013 not only in the firefighting water, but also in the smoke that was being emitted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Another major refinery in Texas also suffered a fire on March 23, just as oil prices spiked dramatically due to conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Bowen said Australia\u2019s fuel reserves stood at 38 days of petrol, 28 days of jet fuel and 31 days of diesel.<\/p>\n
The Geelong refinery was built by Shell, dates back to 1954, and employs more than 1100 people.<\/p>\n
With Reuters<\/p>\n
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