GARYVILLE — The Marathon Refinery in St. John the Baptist Parish, specifically in Garyville, is on fire and now, officials have issued a mandatory evacuation as a precautionary measure.
Plant officials report it’s a “naphtha release and fire” at one of the storage tanks at the St. John the Baptist refinery. The Marathon Refinery is located in Reserve, La. on W. Airline Hwy.
St. John Parish President Jaclyn Hotard Issued an emergency declaration and has issued a mandatory evacuation for all residents within a two-mile radius of the part closest to Marathon Petroleum Garyville Refinery.
A shelter is open at East St. John Preparatory Academy Gym, 400 Ory Drive., LaPlace, East St. John High School Gymnasium at 1 Wildcat Dr., LaPlace, and West St. John High School at 480 Hwy. 3127 in Edgard. Transportation is available if needed by calling 985-652-2222 or 985-652-6338. Residents are asked to bring medications and any other items they need to the shelter.
“The release and fire are contained within the refinery’s property and there have been no injuries. As a precaution, air monitoring has been deployed in the community. No off-site impacts have been detected. All regulatory notifications have been made,” Marathon said in a release.
Naphtha is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture.
The dark cloud is shooting several feet into the air with numerous witnesses providing UWK with pictures and videos saying “it all happened really quickly.”
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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