Fire Breaks Out at Viva Energy Refinery

A major fire broke out late Wednesday night at the Viva Energy refinery in Corio, a suburb of Geelong about an hour southwest of Melbourne, disrupting operations at one of Australia's only two remaining oil refineries. The blaze, reported around 11 p.m. local time, originated in the jet fuel production area, known as the MOGAS unit, and involved liquid fuels and gases, leading to multiple explosions heard by nearby residents.

Fire Rescue Victoria responded to emergency calls reporting the incident, deploying around 50 fire appliances to battle flames reaching up to 60 meters high. By early Thursday, the fire had been contained to a 30-by-30-meter area within the plant, though it remained uncontrolled for several hours. All staff onsite, estimated at 30 to 40 people, were accounted for, and no injuries were reported among the facility's more than 1,100 employees. Authorities confirmed the cause is under investigation but appears accidental, with no suspicious circumstances.

The refinery, which processes up to 120,000 barrels of crude oil daily, supplies more than 50 percent of Victoria's petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas, as well as about 10 percent of the...