Shelter-In-Place Issued Near Fire At Refinery In Delco

Update, 1:12 p.m.: Everyone within a half-mile of Trainer Refinery should shelter in place, according to Trainer Police.

Crews are battling a small active fire in a pump room at the refinery, which has brought air quality to "nuisance level," police said.

TRAINER, PA — A fire at an oil refinery is pushing heavy smoke through Delaware County's skies on Thursday.

The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. at Trainer Refinery, which straddles the communities of Trainer, Marcus Hook and Chester along the Delaware River. It is operated by Monroe Energy — a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

A Monroe spokesperson says the fire began in a process unit pump room.

A large stack of smoke has been emanating from the refinery as several emergency units respond. Chester City officials advised the public to avoid the area.

Chester City Help, Incident and Resource Page — a social media page — has been live-streaming the incident, showing a large cloud of smoke in the area.

It's unclear what caused the fire or whether anyone was injured.

"As of now all we know is that there is a fire at the refinery all personnel are working on locating the fire and extinguishing it," Trainer Police wrote on social media.

Trainer Refinery produces gas, diesel, propane and home heating oil. The facility has moved toward greater jet fuel production since Monroe acquired it in 2012.

In response to the fire, Monroe has activated the Industrial Firefighting Group — a consortium of emergency responders — a company spokesperson says.

The company claimed that perimeter air monitoring shows no risks to the community, according to a statement issued early Thursday afternoon.

"The safety and health of the residents is paramount, and we are working closely with local emergency response officials and making all agency notifications to convey pertinent information to our community," a Monroe spokesperson said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.