Sunoco Blast Investigation Begins

Investigators will be on site Tuesday to figure out what caused the spectacular weekend explosion and fire at the Sunoco refinery that straddles Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The explosion happened on the Delaware side in Claymont around 10:15 p.m. Sunday. Intense flames, fueled by the chemical ethylene, burned all through the night and into Monday morning. After keeping an eye on hot spots all day, late Monday the fire was out. Now investigators will shift their attention to what set off the blast.

Ethylene is a base chemical used in the production of plastics and fire officials assured neighbors they had no reason to worry about their health. Ethylene loses most of its toxic properties once it's burned, according to Capt. Jeff Whitmarsh of the Delaware State Police.

"There is no concern for the residents in the immediate area," Whitmarsh said.

But some people who live near the refinery didn't take any chances. Many reported smelling a strange odor. Some complained of headaches. There were no reports of injuries and no evacuations, but some neighbors left on their own anyway.

The explosion was so strong it shook homes and rattled windows miles away. People in Wilmington, Del. and across the river in New Jersey reported feeling the blast.

Fears of production delays caused gasoline futures to shoot to a seven-month high in the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday, according to Reuters. Sunoco's Marcus Hook refinery produces almost 180,000 barrels of sweet crude oil a day. That accounts for about one-percent of the nation's daily production, according to Sunoco's Web site. The company wouldn't say how much production has been affected but did say it plans to increase output at its Philadelphia and Eagle Point, N.J. plants to compensate.

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