Several workers at the Come By Chance refinery remain in serious condition after a fire broke out at the facility on Friday. Initial reports of an explosion are downplayed at Come By Chance today, with people familiar with the incident describing it more as a brief fire that was contained and quickly extinguished. And while it may have been brief, it was intense enough to send eight workers to the hospital, five of whom were taken to St. John’s for urgent care. The incident occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. on Friday inside a unit of this major refinery, bringing to mind the 1998 tragedy that killed two workers and left another injured. It also comes at a time of renewed optimism for the half-century-old facility, which is in the process of transitioning to a producer of Braya-branded renewable jet fuel. Speaking to VOCM News outside her home this morning. Come By Chance Mayor Carol Molloy says she received a call from the company’s president Friday night pledging whatever support the city and workers need. Molloy noted that it is too early to speculate on the cause of what happened here, noting that the priority right now is the well-being of those being treated and their families.
