Explosion And Fire Reported At Canada's Largest Oil Refinery

An explosion and fire ripped through Canada's largest refinery Monday in what the company that owns it called a "major incident."

It was not known if there were casualties from the blast and fire at the Irving Oil refinery in St. John's, New Brunswick.

Images posted on social media networks showed intermittent flames and a column of black smoke rising from the refinery, the country's largest with a production capacity of 300,00 barrels of refined products a day.

Rob Beebe, who lives near the refinery, told Radio Canada he felt his house shake, followed by a blast.

The company confirmed on Twitter that a "major incident" occurred at the refinery.

"We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available," it said.