A massive oil refinery blast shook the historic port city of Saint John New Brunswick Monday, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky but causing only four minor injuries B次元官网网址� and leaving officials relieved it wasnB次元官网网址檛 far worse.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very grateful today B次元官网网址� and being Thanksgiving, I think itB次元官网网址檚 appropriate,B次元官网网址� Kevin Scott, Irving OilB次元官网网址檚 chief refining and supply officer, told reporters at an afternoon briefing after a tense day. B次元官网网址淰ery fortunate they had only minor injuries.B次元官网网址�

Saint John residents described feeling an explosion at about 10:15 a.m. local time, at IrvingB次元官网网址檚 refinery on the cityB次元官网网址檚 east side.

B次元官网网址淢y whole house shook. I thought my furnace had exploded,B次元官网网址� said Litsa Daeres, 34, who opened her curtains and saw the flames and thick, black smoke.

Scott said there had been a malfunction in the refineryB次元官网网址檚 diesel treating unit, where sulphur is removed from diesel fuel.

One worker at the refinery, who didnB次元官网网址檛 want to be identified, said the initial blast had been enough to knock him down.

B次元官网网址淭here was quite a shockwave when the blast happened,B次元官网网址� he said as he left with co-workers hours afterward.

There were as many as 3,000 workers on the refinery Monday B次元官网网址� but most of the facility was shut down for major maintenance, and nearly all of the workers were contractors working on the turn-around.

Scott said the unit was quickly shut down after the blast.

B次元官网网址淭he fire did take a number of hours to extinguish, with some of the material that had leaked into the area of the unit that was affected. At times we were letting that just safely extinguish itself,B次元官网网址� he said.

Most of the minor injuries were to contractors, not Irving staff, he said.

The refinery is near several residential neighbourhoods, and is about five kilometres from the city core, known as Uptown.

According to the Irving Oil web site, the refinery produces more than 320,000 barrels of B次元官网网址渇inished energy productsB次元官网网址� every day, with more than half going the U.S. northeast. Scott said they hope to minimize the impact on clients.

At 4 p.m. local time, residents were still being asked to stay in their homes, and nearby streets remained closed. But District Chief Mike Carr of Saint John fire said there were no air quality concerns, other than the smoke.

B次元官网网址淎t this time, the incident is stabilized,B次元官网网址� said Carr.

The thick, black plume of smoke earlier in the day had been cause for concern for Gordon Dalzell, who lives in the nearby subdivision of Chaplain Heights B次元官网网址� but the bigger issue, he said, is the other pollutants in the air that can be neither seen nor smelled.

Dalzell, the chair of Saint JohnB次元官网网址檚 Citizens Coalition for Clean Air, said the refinery already emits many different types of B次元官网网址渧olatile organic compoundsB次元官网网址� into the air: organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure and can be hazardous to human health.

B次元官网网址淥bviously, there was a lot of black, sooty smoke B次元官网网址� but I worry more about what you canB次元官网网址檛 see in terms of pollution that comes from the refinery,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he pollutants you canB次元官网网址檛 see or smell, theyB次元官网网址檙e the ones that are of great, great concern, on a regular basis.B次元官网网址�

He said he was grateful that nobody was seriously injured, but he hopes the incident will help stakeholders reconsider the continued use of fossil fuels when greener options are available.

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Like others in the area Thanksgiving morning, Dalzell was shocked by the initial explosion.

B次元官网网址淥ur house actually shook, our windows, we could feel the direct impact of the explosion in our house B次元官网网址� it didnB次元官网网址檛 take very long to discover, of course, that a very heavy black plume was coming from the site,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲e thought we were going to have to evacuate and take the turkey with us.B次元官网网址�

Nate Guimond, 36, said he was doing house repairs when he looked outside and saw the scene.

B次元官网网址淭here was thick, pitch black smoke mixed with white smoke,B次元官网网址� said Guimond. B次元官网网址淚 heard a rumbling, roaring sound.B次元官网网址�

He decided to drive by the refinery, and said he was nearby when he felt the vibrations of what he assumed must be a second explosion.

Michael Steeves said he was driving about a kilometre away when he saw flames reach as high as 100 feet in the air. He said the incident reminded him of a similar event in the late 90s, when the same refinery suffered a similar explosion which left one person dead.

B次元官网网址淛ust seeing the clouds, and what theyB次元官网网址檝e got closed off, it just seems to be a pretty similar level of event,B次元官网网址� he said.

The Saint John Regional Hospital had issued an B次元官网网址渙range alert,B次元官网网址� meaning it was preparing for a possible influx of patients. But the health authority later tweeted that the hospital B次元官网网址渋s running as usual today.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� With files from Alex Cooke in Halifax and Alanna Rizza and Nicole Thompson in Toronto.

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press

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