Come By Chance’s mayor says the city is rallying to support the eight workers injured in Friday’s refinery fire, as well as their families. Five of the eight employees had to be airlifted to the Health Sciences Center in St. John’s due to the severity of their injuries. The others were being treated in hospital in Clarenville. The incident occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. on Friday when the eight were caught in what some workers described as a fire or backdraft, but it’s not yet clear what caused it. It also remains to be seen how much damage was done to the refinery itself, although Mayor Carol Molloy says it’s a distant second in terms of immediate concern. He says the focus right now is 100 percent on the recovery and well-being of the injured workers, their co-workers and their families. The incident is reminiscent of the 1998 refinery fire 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 diesel and renewable jet fuel producer. New owner Braya Renewable Fuels says it is cooperating with investigations into the incident and has also offered workers and the city any support they need.
