Black smoke and higher flames could be seen coming from the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John. (photo credit: Todd Johnston)
Saint Johners a bit on edge early Friday afternoon seeing thick, black smoke billowing into the sky from the Irving Oil refinery.
It felt a little too familiar and reminded many of the explosion last year at the facility.
Our newsroom reached out to Irving Oil and we received an email statement from spokesperson Candice MacLean.
“Elevated flaring is taking place at our Saint John refinery today, caused during the shutdown of one of our process units. We expect normal levels to return this afternoon.” MacLean said.
An Irving Oil spokesperson says the thick black smoke and flames are because of “elevated flaring at the Saint John refinery caused during the shutdown of one of our process units.”
They expect normal levels to return this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/B0IZMt09Ua— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) July 5, 2019
We asked if this involved the equipment connected to last fall’s explosion.
“The shutdown of the unit today was unrelated to the October incident,” MacLean said.
With temperatures in the high thirties, many are wondering about the health impacts of that thick, black smoke moving around the region.
The Department of Environment letting us know they are aware of the situation and they are looking into the cause.
Follow
