Massive fire and explosion rips through South Philadelphia Refinery

A large fire broke out early Friday morning in a butane vat at the 335,000 barrel-per-day refinery, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department’s twitter feed and a company statement.

Video footage shows a later explosion that sent a massive fireball into the sky, engulfing the refinery and the surrounding area in smoke.

Aerial video of the scene aired on local television showed the complex engulfed in flames and significant damage.

Details about what started the fire weren't immediately available. Authorities are working to account for all of the personnel, Philadelphia Energy Solutions spokeswoman Cherice Corley said.

About 120 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire, Philadelphia’s deputy fire commissioner, Craig Murphy, said in a media briefing. He said one employee who was working in the area of the butane vat complained of chest pains but did not need treatment. Butane is a liquid petroleum gas used as fuel and in production of petrochemicals.

The refinery's fire crews have been fighting the flames -- with city fire crews in support -- and the blaze has been contained to the general vat area, Murphy said.

"The fire is not under control yet. Right now, companies are making sure that the fire does not spread," he told reporters after dawn.

Employees "were working somewhere close to the vat" when the fire started, "but far enough away that the initial explosion didn't injure anyone," Murphy said. He said he didn't know what work was being done.

The facility -- in the south of the city, a few miles from Philadelphia International Airport -- is the largest oil refining complex on the Eastern Seaboard, according to its website. Philadelphia Energy Solutions employs more than 1,000 people and refines 335,000 barrels of crude oil a day.