Refinery fire in South Africa kills two

A FIRE at Milnerton Refinery in South Africa has killed two employees and injured seven.

The 100,000 bbl/d refinery in Cape Town is owned by Astron Energy and is the third-largest crude oil refinery in South Africa. The fire occurred at around 04:00 local time on 2 July.

The fire was contained and the plant is stable, but all work has stopped.  Astron Energy said that there is no danger to the surrounding community and there will be no immediate threat to fuel supplies. One of the units was reported by local media to be partially collapsed and mangled following the fire.

Two employees died in the fire and seven were injured, with two of the injured remaining in hospital. Jonathan Molapo, CEO of Astron Energy, said: “This is a terrible tragedy. Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected. Our priority now is to support them, and our colleagues, and to continue to ensure that the plant is completely safe. We will conduct a full investigation of the incident.”