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Firefighters battle massive chemical fire in St. John Parish

It started shortly before 7, Friday morning near a pair of tanks that store naphtha which is a component in the production of gasoline.

GARYVILLE, La. —
Emergency responders spent the day battling a massive fire at the Marathon Petroleum plant in Garyville about 40 miles upriver from New Orleans. 

It started shortly before 7, Friday morning near a pair of tanks that store naphtha which is a component in the production of gasoline. 

Mike King lives about a block from the plant. 

“Walked out the front door and there was a huge plume of smoke over Marathon, so I drove past it before they had the River Road blocked and I could see the flames and what not and I went and warned some people on the other side, woke them up and told them the refinery was on fire,” King said. 

Marathon spokesman Justin Lawrence said one of the storage tanks was leaking into a perimeter containment area and the chemical somehow ignited. 

"The tank didn’t ignite, the product that is contained in our perimeter around the tank ignited and that’s where the fire is,” Lawrence said. 

But from an aerial view, you can see flames leaping in the air high above two storage tanks. 

It’s unclear whether the product inside also caught fire. 

St. John Parish President Jaclyn Hotard ordered a mandatory evacuation within a two-mile radius of the plant. 

“It’s really a precautionary measure,” Hotard said. “There’s a large smoke plume over the area and we just want to make sure that we’re taking all steps that we can to ensure that our residents are safe.” 

Hotard lifted the order by mid-afternoon when firefighters got the blaze under control. 

She said there were no injuries at the plant and impacts from the fire were contained within the refinery’s property. 

“It’s alarming, you know, to see what’s going on,” Hotard said. “I understand the residents’ concerns, especially for residents who have been here for a long time and have seen different incidents that happen. So, it is a little scary.” 

State air quality teams have been monitoring neighborhoods surrounding the plant to make sure there were no toxic gas releases. 

About 50 firefighting personnel worked to put out the Marathon fire. 

“There is a large presence from the greater New Orleans region, sister refineries as Marathon stated, as well as assistance from our adjacent parishes with their fire suppression services,” SJP Deputy Emergency Management Director Travis Perrilloux said. 

Firefighters remained on scene through the evening, putting out hot spots and making sure the fire didn’t reignite. 

RELATED: Evacuation lifted for St. John Parish as smoke clouds clear

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