Huge fire erupts at Australian oil refinery - VIDEO

A major fire broke out overnight at Viva Energy’s oil refinery in Geelong, one of Australia’s last two operational refineries, due to equipment failure.

Fire Rescue Victoria Deputy Commissioner Michelle Cowling said the fire was contained within a section of the facility known as the transfer area and did not affect diesel, gasoline, or petroleum production, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

She added that the incident would not contribute to existing fuel supply pressures in the region.

Viva Energy has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Cowling described the challenges in extinguishing the blaze, noting that an LPG tower with an open valve could not be physically accessed due to extreme heat, and engineers were instead working remotely to drain the tank.

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the refinery was still producing diesel and jet fuel, though at reduced levels as a precaution.

🔥A fire broke out at one of the two remaining oil refineries in Australia, which was extinguished after 12 hours, Sky News Australia reported.

Viva Energy processes about 120,000 barrels of oil per day and meets 10% of the country's needs. The cause of the fire may have been a… pic.twitter.com/yU61JEyoVH

— News.Az (@news_az) April 16, 2026

Victoria’s Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the fire had not directly impacted diesel or jet fuel production and that she had been assured there would be no immediate impact on fuel supply, although some production units were scaled back for safety reasons.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

The Corio refinery processes around 120,000 barrels per day, accounting for about 50% of Victoria’s fuel needs and roughly 10% of Australia’s total fuel supply.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev