July 11, 2004
By Matthew Ralph
WEST DEPTFORD TWP. -- A five-alarm blaze broke out at the Sunoco Eagle Point oil refinery here Saturday afternoon, but was under control by early evening.
Carol A. Sloan, public affairs and communications representative for Sunoco, said the fire broke out at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The cause of the fire was still under investigation late Saturday.
Two injuries were reported. A Sunoco employee splashed with an unidentified liquid was treated at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury as a precautionary measure and released. A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. Firefighters and emergency responders were all expected to be tested for exposure to various chemicals.
The fire was isolated and contained at its source in the cumene unit of the facility by around 6 p.m., Sloan said. Fire crews reported after 9 p.m. that the blaze had not yet been extinguished.
Cumene is a raw material used as a feed stock for the production of various products such as paint thinner and various solvents.
"It was really important that the fire was maintained in the cumene unit," Sloan explained.
An emergency response team at the plant and fire companies from Washington Township, West Deptford, Verga, Woodbury, Woodbury Heights, Pitman, Franklin, Paulsboro, Westville, Deptford, Cherry Hill, Woolwich and Westmont were observed fighting the blaze.
The refinery is located near Route 130 and Interstate 295 and borders Westville. A plume of black smoke could be seen from across I-295, obstructing the view of the Philadelphia skyline.
Nearby residents were not evacuated. Downwind monitoring for toxins done throughout the day turned up negative, Sloan said.
"It is essentially smoke," Sloan said. "Residents are not in any danger."
West Deptford Mayor Anna Docimo said she was assured early on that an evacuation was not needed.
"Everything is fine," Docimo said. "My big concern is that it would be an environmental issue. We didn't have to do any evacuation or anything like that. That would have been the first thing we did."
Contract workers showing up for work just before 7 p.m. were cleared to enter the refinery shortly after their arrival.
The blaze is the first reported at the facility since Sunoco took over operation in January.
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1089533736224590.xml