A destructive fire sparked by equipment failure has broken out at Viva Energy’s Corio oil refinery, one of only two operating oil refineries in Australia, exacerbating existing strains on the country’s already tight petrol market against the backdrop of a global fuel crisis.
Emergency response teams were dispatched to the Geelong-based facility, located roughly 75 kilometers southwest of Melbourne, shortly before midnight on Wednesday following multiple reports of explosions and visible large flames. Fortunately, all 50 to 100 workers on site at the time of the incident were evacuated without injury, though the intense blaze has continued to burn into the following day, forcing local authorities to issue urgent public warnings about degraded air quality for surrounding communities.
As a critical fuel production hub, the Corio refinery accounts for 10 percent of Australia’s total fuel output and half of Victoria’s domestic fuel supply, processing 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day and supporting more than 1,100 local jobs. While the facility remains partially operational, with jet fuel and diesel production continuing at reduced capacity as a safety measure, Viva Energy officials confirmed the fire damaged two dedicated petrol production units. Scott Wyatt, chief executive of Viva Energy, emphasized that stabilizing the site and ensuring worker safety is the company’s top priority, rather than restoring full output immediately. “We’ll only start increasing production again once we’re confident we can do that safely,” Wyatt said, noting that some petrol-producing units remain undamaged but supply disruptions for the fuel are still likely.
Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj described the incident as unprecedented for the facility, adding that the extreme intensity of the fire has left firefighters with little option but to allow it to burn out naturally, with the blaze expected to continue for multiple hours. “This has been a huge shock and has rocked [refinery management],” Kontelj told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen noted that the fire comes at an exceptionally challenging time for national fuel security, as global oil markets have been thrown into chaos following the outbreak of war in Iran. Australia has already faced skyrocketing fuel prices in recent weeks, with diesel costs doubling, widespread reports of panic buying that have left many retail fuel stations struggling to maintain stock, and domestic airlines cutting back routes to offset spiking jet fuel costs.
“This is not a positive development, but obviously there’s a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is,” Bowen told Nine Network’s *Today* program on Thursday. The minister added that he is in constant close coordination with Viva Energy leadership, as officials work to assess the full scope of production disruptions and potential impacts on retail fuel supplies across the country. Fire Rescue Victoria has confirmed the fire was caused by equipment failure, with a full formal investigation into the incident planned for after the blaze is fully contained.