FBI Agents Look Into Two Louisiana Refinery Fires - UPDATE

June 10, 2003, 5:01 PM ET

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HOUSTON, June 10 (Reuters) - Two refinery fires in Louisiana broke out within two miles (3.2 km) of each other and just an hour apart on Tuesday, drawing the interest of the FBI, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

While the fires most likely were caused by mechanical failures, said FBI special agent Sheila Thorne in New Orleans, "agents are looking for any potential matter of federal jurisdiction" just to be sure.

Security has been stepped up at U.S. refineries since President George W. Bush declared "war on terrorism" after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but Thorne did not say if that was why the FBI was investigating Tuesday's incidents.

The first fire broke out at 1 a.m. CDT (0600 GMT) at ExxonMobil Corp.'s 190,000 barrel per day refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, east of New Orleans, police said.

It was followed at 2 a.m CDT (0700 GMT) by a fire at MurphyOil Corp.'s 110,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in nearby Meraux, Louisiana.

The Exxon Mobil blaze was extinguished in two hours, but the Murphy fire was still burning Tuesday afternoon, said Lt. Mike Sanders, director of public information for the sheriff's office in St. Bernard Parish, where the fires occurred.

Mechanical failure is not unusual in U.S refineries during the summer months because they are running at their highest capacities to supply gasoline for the summer driving season.

Two refineries in Martinez, California reported breakdowns Monday.

Thorne said the FBI would have to let the Louisiana refineries cool before the agents could take a close look at the incidents.

"The crime scene is still too hot to do much with," she said. "Until we can get to them we can't rule anything out."

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service.

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