A fire that broke out at a Petro-Canada refinery near Edmonton is not expected to affect supplies of gasoline in the area, says the company.
On Wednesday morning, firefighters extinguished the blaze that started on Tuesday night. They had faced delays because cold weather was freezing the water firefighters were using.
Refinery manager Tom Day said the fire started after a leak in the heavy oils portion of the plant. He said the damage is contained and the refinery is still operating at 90 per cent capacity.
Company spokeswoman Allyson Zarowny said: "We don't anticipate this will affect supply in the Edmonton supply area and we're working to get the refinery back up to full capacity as soon as possible.''
Zarowny said the fire started when hydrocarbons leaked from the alkylation unit. The fire was put out and no one was injured, although 62 contractors were sent home as a precaution, she said.
An investigation is underway to determine why the leak occurred.
Meanwhile, Imperial Oil, which supplies Esso gas stations, says their refinery in Nanticoke, Ont. -- struck by a fire last month -- is now operating at about 75 per cent of its normal output.
The fire has been blamed for an ongoing gasoline shortage in Ontario.
Imperial Oil says they are now making progress in supplying wholesale and commercial customers.
"Despite all efforts on our part, events of the past several weeks have put customers and associates in a very difficult position and we deeply regret this inconvenience,'' said Simon Smith, Imperial's vice-president and general manager of fuels marketing.
"We continue to work very hard to put our supply network back in balance and deliver on our commitments to our customers.''
While the situation remains tight, additional supply has been secured from neighbouring markets.
The Nanticoke refinery is expected to be back to its full capacity by mid-March.
